Russian delegation to participate in celebrations of German Social-Democratic party's 140th anniversary

On Friday Chairman of the United Russia faction, Russian Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov, will participate in the celebration devoted to the German Social-Democratic party's 140th anniversary.

Chairman of the Russian United Social-Democratic faction, former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev has also arrived in Berlin to participate in the celebration. German social democrats are celebrating the date under the slogan "Renovation is our tradition", the party's press service in Berlin reported. According to the source, the festive programme in the German capital is arranged not only to "remind about the history of the German social democracy rich in different evens, but also to introduce its current and future objectives".

The day before the party's headquarters in Berlin, the Willy Brandt House, hosted a congress of the Socialist Party of Europe with participation of heads of states and governments as well as Chairman of the Social Party of Europe Robin Cook and President of the Socialist International Antonio Guterres.

Among the foreign heads of states participating in the event there are Prime Ministers of Great Britain, Sweden, Poland, the Czech republic and Rumania. These heads are also Chairmen of their countries' social democratic parties. The celebration gathered a total of almost 40 European social and social-democratic parties.