Info about the Balkan meeting of Communist Parties

On 15th of September 2006 KKE hosted a meeting of communist and workers’ parties from the Balkan countries in Thessaloniki. The meeting had as subject “The communist action against imperialism and capitalist exploitation in the Balkans” and it was attended by representatives from the Communist Party of Albania, Communist Party of Bulgaria, Party of Bulgarian Communists (previously named Bulgarian Communist Party “Georgi Dimitrov”), Socialist Workers’ Party of Croatia, Communist Party of Macedonia, Communist Party of Greece, Party of Labour, Turkey (EMEP), Communist Party of Turkey and the New Communist Party of Yugoslavia. Parties that could not attend the meeting sent messages and written interventions, namely the Communist Workers’ Party of Bosnia – Herzegovina, Socialist Alliance Party of Romania and the Communist Party of Romania.

The meeting reviewed the situation and the developments in the Balkan region, as well as for sharing experiences from the people’s struggles and the work of the communist parties. The meeting also dealt questions of the further development of regional multilateral cooperation.

Dimitris Koutsoumbas, member of the political bureau of the KKE, addressing the meeting stressed the need to strengthen cooperation among the Balkan communist parties through joint actions and initiatives for reactivation of the Balkan Anti-NATO Centre, strengthening the struggle against the imperialist military presence in the Balkans, the foreign bases and troops, against the so-called Balkan Brigade and the participation of troops from the Balkan countries in NATO and EU missions to other countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. He called for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the Balkan countries and the non-involvement of the countries of the region in the new imperialist wars and the threats being launched against the peoples of Syria, Iran and other.

In the Press Release issued by the meeting it is stressed the need to reinforce the solidarity with the people of Lebanon and Palestine, while it was also expressed the support of the participants to the anti-NATO actions being prepared to take place during the NATO conference in Riga, Latvia, in November.

The participants also approved a Statement of Solidarity with Cuba and demanded the release of the 5 Cuban patriots held imprisoned in the US