Balkan Meeting 2011: Intervention by KKE

Speech of Giorgios Marinos, member of the PB of the CC of the KKE at the meeting of the Balkan CPs in Thessaloniki, on the issue:

“The developments in the Balkans and in the Eastern Mediterranean and the tasks of the communists.”

Dear comrades,

We would like to thank the communist parties in our region for accepting the invitation of the KKE and participating in our meeting today in order to examine the developments in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean and contribute to the development of the struggle of the workers’ and people’s movement, to the anti-imperialist struggle.

The importance of this meeting arises from the capitalist crisis, the full-scale attack of capital, the intensification of imperialist aggressiveness and the intensification of the inter-imperialist contradictions in the region.

For our effort to be effective we must create a basis so as to achieve a higher level in the collective examination of the developments, to contribute to the strengthening of the ideological- political and mass struggle of the communist parties in the region, to take the appropriate steps that will lead to the strengthening of the communist movement in a revolutionary direction.

The capitalist crisis that manifested itself in the imperialist centres, in the US, the EU and Japan in a synchronized way and embraces a large number of capitalist states is deep and prolonged.

The shrinkage of the economy did not manifest itself solely in the EU where the GDP in 2009 was reduced by 4%, it had a general character.

For instance there has been 5% reduction of the GDP, in Romania 7%, in Turkey 4,7%, in Serbia 3%. Greece had a 2% reduction which appeared in manufacturing and generally in industry, trade and tourism.

The reduction of GDP continued in 2010 in Greece, in Romania and in Bulgaria while the recovery observed in several other states is characterized as being unstable and uncertain.

Turkey had a high rate of capitalist development in 2010 and it is foreseen that, despite the slow down, the increase of the GDP will continue though it will be characterized by a high unemployment rate and the general intensification of the people’s problems.

The capitalist command-centres are concerned because despite the fact that millions of euro were given for the support of the banks and the other capitalist business the recovery is weak and characterized by instability while the course of the economy keeps up with the increase in unemployment and the freezing of private consumption.

The contradictions of the system cause serious difficulties in its management. The allocation of huge amounts of money to support the businesses has led to the increase of the debt and the deficits while the restrictive policies deepen the recession.

Public debt has a tendency to increase in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Serbia as well as in other countries in our region.

The scientific definition of the causes of the crisis on the basis of Marxist- Leninist analysis is of great importance for the communists.

The KKE argues that the capitalist crisis reflects the intensification of the fundamental contradiction between the social character of production and labour and the private, capitalist appropriation of its results.

The positions that attribute the causes of the crisis to management policies, placing the blame solely to neo-liberal management are unrealistic and dangerous.

This is because they turn a blind eye to the activity of the laws of the exploitative system; they conceal the fact that the history of the crises proves that they break out over time irrespective of the form of management, social-democrat or liberal, as a result of the intensification of the contradictions of the system, of the anarchy and the unevenness that characterizes capitalist production, of the over accumulation of capital accumulated in the phase of the growth of the economy due to the exploitation of labour power and which cannot find a way out that will ensure a high rate of profit, in a framework where the situation of the workers’ and their families deteriorates in both absolute and relative terms.

The positions of social democracy and the opportunist forces, such as the European Left Party are especially dangerous as they insist on putting the blame solely on the neo-liberal management consciously seeking to exonerate capitalism, by means of various management mixtures concerning the reinforcement of state investments, the transformation of the imperialist instruments such as the European Central Bank and the state banks to mechanisms that will allegedly serve the interests of the people. In that way they confuse the people, prettify the imperialist character of the EU, and dissociate this mechanism of the capital from the International Monetary Fund.

Both before as well as during the crisis there has been a systematic attack against the workers’ and people’s rights with the aim of reducing the price of the labour power and increase the competitiveness and the profits of capital.

This has been a strategic choice elaborated jointly by the bourgeoisies and their political representatives, the main line that characterizes the decisions of the EU and the other imperialist organizations where the national governments participate.

The main anti-people policies and measures implemented over the last years that escalated under the condition of the crisis are:

the cuts in wages and pensions, the abolition of collective labour agreements, the extension of part-time and temporary employment, the increase of retirement ages, the reactionary reforms that reinforce the commercialization of health, welfare and education, the reinforcement of the capitalist relations in agriculture and the deterioration of the situation of the small businesses which are affected by monopoly competition.

This situation is not only true in the case of Greece where the attack is really brutal, but for the peoples in all capitalist states, as well as the peoples in the states of our region.

The same or similar measures are implemented in all Balkan countries. Today we can better shed light on this fact, in combination with the examination of the course of the people’s struggles.

In a series of Balkan countries, in Greece, in Romania, in Bulgaria, in Turkey there have been important struggles. We can discuss the significant experiences of our parties as regards the orientation of these struggles, the extent of the influence of the communist parties, the maturation of their goals, the increase in the organisation of the working class, the advance of the social alliance.

In Greece there have been multi-faceted class struggles against the attack of capital, against the anti-people policy of the previous liberal government of ND and the current social democrat government which is supported by the other bourgeois political forces and the compromised leaderships of government and employer led trade unionism.

In 2010 there have been 15 successful general strikes, a significant number of strikes in sectors and companies, dozens of occupations of ministries and other public buildings, a variety of other struggles with the participation of hundreds of thousands of workers and popular forces.

The KKE, PAME, the class oriented movement, the militant rallies supported by our party in the movement of the farmers, the self-employed, the women and the youth played the leading role in these struggles.

The line which the KKE and the class oriented movement expressed from the very beginning that the crisis, the deficit and the debt are a result of capitalist development, of the strategy that serves the monopoly groups and that the working people are not at all responsible, had a special contribution in this conflict with the capital.

The plutocracy must pay for the crisis. The struggle concerning every popular problem must aim at the organization, the concentration and the preparation of broader working class and popular forces not only in order to create better conditions for the sale of labor power but also for the overthrow of the exploitative system, in order to pave the way for the people’s economy, for socialism.

This is a prerequisite for the conflict between capital and labour, this position strengthens the people and contributes to their liberation from the influence of bourgeois ideology and policy, the confusion spread by the opportunist forces.

The broader popular forces that supported our party in the recent elections for the local state bodies, where our party achieved a high percentage of votes, recognized that the political line of the KKE expresses the interests of the people, as does its tireless struggle in the factories and the workplaces in general, its the struggles within in the trade unions.

Dear comrades,

The region of the Balkans and Southeast Mediterranean is a region of great strategic importance.

It includes mandatory shipping lanes for maritime transportation, significant routes for energy transportation from the energy sources of the Caucasus and Caspian Sea, Middle East and Northern Africa to Europe but also to Southwestern Asia via Suez. It has significant energy resources and considerable advantages for military operations for the military control over wider regions.

These features attract the imperialist powers like a magnet and make our region an important arena for the manifestation of the inter-imperialist contradictions and their strategic goals. The bourgeoisie and the bourgeois political forces in the states of the region play an active part in these contradictions; they are part of the problem and support the imperialist unions in order to serve their own interests.

From that point of view should we examine the situation in Balkans and Southeast Mediterranean.

On the Balkans:

The EU promotes an elaborated plan for its expansion in the broader region in order to serve the interests of the European monopolies and its strategic goals for the acquisition and the control of new markets, energy resources and energy routes.

After Greece, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania it promotes the accession of the Western Balkans and the whole Balkan countries.

The negotiations for the accession of Croatia have entered their final stage. The European Commission recommended the beginning of negotiations with FYROM and Montenegro.

The Agreement of Stabilisation and Association between EU and Albania is being implemented while relations with Bosnia Herzegovina are moving in the same direction.

The Interim Agreement with Serbia came into force early in 2010 while the process of the ratification of the Agreement of Stabilisation and Association is under way.

At the same time, the bourgeoisie in Turkey continues the necessary modernizations on the basis of the accession course of the country in order to increase the exploitation of the working people in the country.

This is a general feature of the accession process. The bourgeois states promote modernisation policies and the adaptation of their economies to the modern needs of capital in order to increase their competitiveness and profits through a plan of capitalist restructuring that have to do with the liberalisation of sectors and branches of the economy, privatisations, abolition of labour and social security rights, cuts in expenditures for social services and reactionary reforms in healthcare and education.

The KKE argues that the EU as an interstate imperialist union has interests of the capital as its driving force and that it will become increasing dangerous for the people’s interests, irrespective of its structure and the forms of its functioning, irrespective of the course of the debates concerning its economic governance, the issuing of the Eurobond.

The intervention of the EU in the region is not restricted to the accession process of the Balkan states. It utilises various ways to form and upgrade the existing relations with countries in the wider region in the framework of the competition with Russia while at the same time the relations of Russia with Germany and Italy strengthen.

We could underline the following forms of the expansion of the EU:

• the “Eastern Partnership” with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, which, according to the relevant agreements, “create the conditions for the acceleration of the political association and the promotion of the economic integration”.
• the “Monitoring Mission” in Georgia and the “Border Assistance Mission” of the EU to Moldova and Ukraine following the interventions in the Balkans e.g. in Kosovo through EULEX.

NATO acts according the same imperialist motivations. After the accession of Croatia and Albania it insists on the accession of FYROM and creates the conditions for a general expansion that embraces Georgia and Ukraine despite the reactions of Russia.

The activity of NATO in the wider area is being reinforced since 1994 by the so called “partnership for Peace” that includes the former soviet republics”, the “NATO-Russia cooperation”, the “Georgia-Russia Partnership” and the “NATO-Russia Council”.

The interventions of NATO will be strengthened through the new strategy which was adopted recently in its Summit in Lisbon. This strategy focuses on the reinforcement of the occupation forces in Afghanistan and on the control of Iraq, on the expansion of the imperialist presence and action, on the action against states and peoples under the pretext of terrorism, nuclear arms proliferation, piracy, energy security, security in cyber space, climate change, migration waves etc.

In order to serve its war plans NATO strengthens alongside the “Rapid Response Forces” the general military infrastructure that includes the so-called “anti-missile shield” which seems that it will be initially based on ground radar stations probably in Turkey and Bulgaria and on ship patrols with missile systems similar to the “Aegis” in the Aegean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Despite the soothing assurances and the invitation of Russia to participate in the system, it is obvious that this mechanism is based on the “first nuclear strike” and that it is not restricted to the realisation of the aggressive plans against Iran but operates within the framework of the imperialist competition in general.

This development is very dangerous. We must oppose the imperialist aggressiveness as a whole, strengthen the struggle for the disengagement from NATO and the EU, against the accession of new countries, taking into account the dangerous position of the opportunists who claim that the imperialist organisation can dissolve on their own.

The imperialist rivalries over the control of the energy resources, the acquisition of a bigger share in the market, the routes and the destinations of the oil and the gas pipelines are also a crucial issue for the course of the developments on the region. In the framework of the general competition at an international level there is a conflict between the economic-state interests of the US-EU-Russia but also China which has already associated its interests with the region.

Despite the fact that the main choices are obvious, the final decisions, the formation of alliances, axes and anti-axes are characterised by a relative instability.

This is also reflected by the obstacles set by the Bulgarian government to the realisation of the agreement between Russia-Bulgaria-Greece concerning the oil pipeline Caspian-Burgas-Alexandroupolis. Russia attributed this development to the promotion of the interests of US companies in the region and chose to serve its interests through the pipeline Samsun-Ceyhan.

For the time being it seems that the realisation of the plan for the South Stream pipeline is making progress. This pipeline is supported by Russia which supplies Europe with natural gas, bypassing the Ukraine.

Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Serbia, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Austria take part in this plan while the participation of Romania is under discussion.

Turkey will play a key role as regards the pipeline that will pass through the Exclusive Economic Zone of Turkey in the Black Sea.

On the other hand, the arrangements for the NABUCCO natural gas pipeline, which is supported by the US, unfold in the framework of the effort to reduce the energy dependency of the EU from Russia.

Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Hungary and Austria take part in NABUCCO which starts from Azerbaijan. Nevertheless, according to analyses there is a serious problem as regards the supply of the pipeline with natural gas.

We mention the key factors that objectively play a leading role in the developments in Balkans and the wider region without underestimating the activities of China, the role of Turkey and Greece that develop significant economic activities, transfer thousands of companies in Balkans and invest billions of dollars.

In addition, we should mention the partnership between China and Bulgaria for the creation of an industrial zone for Chinese.

Furthermore, a joint-venture for the production of Chinese cars has been created. In 2010 China and Turkey signed an agreement for commercial transactions that might reach 50 billion dollars in 2011 and 100 billion dollars in 2012 while the military relations between the two countries increase as it was shown by the joint military manoeuvres in September 2010.

The agreement of “strategic cooperation” with Serbia in 2009 is within the framework of Chinese penetration in the region, which concerns infrastructure projects and the development of the auto industry amongst other things. The commercial agreements with Greece have the same character, the entry of the transnational COSCO into the port of Piraeus, the largest port in Greece and the creation of a large base for its containers.

FOUR CRUCIAL PROBLEMS

Firstly: The independence of Kosovo which was scheduled after the NATO intervention in Yugoslavia in 1999, with the support of the USA and the European Union and was “legitimised” by the decision of the International Tribunal in the Hague in July 2010, opened a “Pandora’s box” and created a very dangerous situation concerning border changes, with consequences beyond our particular region, as is shown by the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhasia which were recognised by the Russian government.

Communists maintain a principled position which is defined by the general interests of the working class, “the international proletarian movement”, which is served by proletarian internationalism against the cosmopolitanism of the bourgeois class, nationalist deceptions, the policy of “divide and rule” which is imposed by the imperialists in cooperation with the bourgeois classes, by utilizing nationalist and irredentist movements, which they create and support in order to promote their interests. These are designs and plans that have nothing to with the Leninist position concerning “national self-determination”, but are linked to the imperialist plans and rivalries.

We must remind ourselves, that in Kosovo, which was shaped into an American-NATO protectorate, one of the largest American bases on land is already in operation. Camp Bond Steel on the borders of Kosovo-FYROM, in Urosevac, with over 7,000 personnel and a modern military infrastructure, is ready for war in order to support the plans of the imperialists.

Secondly: The stirring up on non-existent minority problems is an equally dangerous issue, as the utilization of minorities so that the aggressive imperialist designs may be served in cooperation with a region’s bourgeois classes.

We must be more concerned because these phenomena which are expedient for the imperialist are on the increase. Studies and reports by EU and US mechanisms are multiplying, as well as by nationalist circles in the Balkans which manufacture and stir up minority issues in order to create the basis for tension in the region and for border changes for which the peoples of our region have paid a very high price.

The bourgeois political forces are more generally interested in using national and religious minorities in their plans, even peoples with dialects. The theses which are promoted by the Foreign minister of Turkey, Mr Davoutoglou, who is a cadre of the governing AKP party, are particularly dangerous. He analysed the dogma of a “neo-ottoman” foreign policy in his book “Deep Strategy”.

“The foundation of Turkey’s political influence in the Balkans is the Muslim population, remnants of the Ottoman empire… Turkey at the moment seems to have significant opportunities in the Balkans. This is ensured by the historical accumulation which is base on the Ottoman legacy.

First of all, the desire to transform this common historical accumulation into a natural alliance has already become apparent, in two instances, where Muslims are natural allies of Turkey and are in the majority (Bosnia, Albania).

An important element of Turkey’s Balkan policy is the existence of Muslim minorities in Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Santzak, Kosovo, and Romania.”

Thirdly: The KKE swam against the tide which was created in the beginning of the 1990’s in Greece and decisively opposed the nationalism which was fostered concerning Greece and FYROM’s relations and condemned the obsession concerning this country’s name as dangerous and futile.

The position of our party is based on principles and supports the quest for a mutually acceptable solution- in the case where it includes the name “Macedonia”, or a derivative of it, it should be made clear that has an exclusively geographical definition. The position of the KKE focuses on the cessation of every from of irredentist propaganda, the explicit recognition of the inviolate character of the borders, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the two states.

We consider the stable and uncompromising position of principle of communists against bourgeois expansionism, which is fostered by “nationalists” concerning “a greater Greece” etc, to be absolutely necessary. Our Party, in its 90 year history and without bending in the face of difficulties, consistently opposed expansionism. Today we estimate that the moves to propagandise the so-called “Greater or natural Albania” are particularly dangerous, which provides for border changes in the Balkans, and threatens the peoples of the region with new conflicts and bloodshed.

Fourthly: In particular, we must grapple with the problems of the immigrants and political refugees, as an important issue which requires the joint activity of local and foreign workers against capital, the common enemy, against the slave-trading rings which infest our region.

We must work for the prevalence of class-oriented criteria and to prevent the immigrants from becoming embroiled in dangerous plans which aim at exploiting their national backgrounds and religious views.

Repressive measures, including the fence which the Greek government is preparing to erect on the river Evros, aggravate the situation and are combined with the creation of an atmosphere of racism and xenophobia as part of the policies which are responsible for the rise in immigration, the causes of which are to be found in imperialist wars and interventions, the dismemberment of states and poverty.

Developments in the Aegean and in the South Eastern Mediterranean

It is a fact that the web of inter-imperialist contradictions and the rivalry of he bourgeois classes which has manifested itself in the region of the SE Mediterranean and Aegean directly inter-dependent on developments in the Balkans and the wider region, has become even more complicated recently, in the conditions of the capitalist crisis.

These developments harbour serious dangers.

Dangers which are related to the control of the Aegean, the exploitation of the deposits of oil and natural gas in the wider maritime region, the history of the Cypriot and Palestinian problems, and the more general developments in the Middle East.

We are of the assessment that the bourgeois class of Turkey, due to the position of the country in the imperialist system, its economic and military strength and its geopolitical position which enables this state to play the role of strong regional power, can extend the range of the activity of its capitalist interests, to take advantage of the upheavals which the capitalist crisis has provoked in the imperialist pyramid and to acquire a stronger position, by strengthening its geopolitical influence in the Balkans, in the Middle East, in the Eurasia region, by strengthening the presence of the Turkish state on the international scene in accordance with the much-discussed new Ottoman dogma.

It has formed new alliances with Russia and China in order to serve these aims, it has strengthened its relations with Iran and with the Middle East states in general, it has come into conflict (possibly temporarily) with traditional allies, such as Israel, at the same time continuing the process for its accession to the EU supported by the USA, but in face of the open opposition of France and Germany which support the position of a “special relationship” EU-Turkey.

On this basis the Turkish bourgeoisie has intensified its claims in the Aegean, it supports a position concerning “vital interests” and “grey areas” utilizing its common interests with the USA and the strategy of NATO which treats the Aegean as a “joint operational area” , in which the interests of the imperialist predatory alliance are predominant.

The Greek Bourgeois class, as well as the Turkish one, aims to enhance the geostrategic position of Greece , expanding its interests in the Balkans and in the wider area, using its position in the EU and NATO, and its geographic advantage to fulfil a role as an important transport and energy junction for the rest of Europe.

From this standpoint, the Greek governments form new alliances, develop new economic relations with China and Russia, military-political and economic relations with Israel which has upgraded its relations with the EU and looks to the creation of a pipe-line which will distribute natural gas to Europe, reinforcing its economic-military position and its aggression against the Palestinians and the peoples of the Middle East in general.

The cooperation which has developed between Greece and Turkey includes the element of the surrender of sovereign rights in the Aegean in order for the interests of the bourgeois class to be more effectively served and so that capitalist development is strengthened, through the expansion of the economic and commercial activity of Greek capitalists in Turkey and Turkish capitalists in Greece. They seek joint business ventures and the benefits from the joint-management and exploitation of the wealth-producing resources of the Aegean, and the promotion in general of the “common interests and concerns” of the bourgeois classes of the two states.

This is a position that was characteristically expressed by Mr Papandreou during his recent visit to Erzerum, where he stated that “In many instances we have a joint presence and common interests, as in the Middle East, The Balkans, the Caucasus.”

The KKE condemns the policies which have been implemented for many years by the ND and PASOK governments and has a very clear position which it expressed during the visit of Erdogan to Athens last May:

“The peoples of the two countries have nothing to gain from the formation of the “Higher Council of Cooperation” and the 21 memoranda and declarations which have been signed by the two governments… because all these aim at the exploitation of the Greek and Turkish salaried workers and not the mutual satisfaction of their social needs.”

The policy of Greco-Turkish cooperation goes hand in hand with the competition between the two bourgeois classes over the role which they are fighting for in the region, for the promotion of their interests and this dialectical relationship of competition and cooperation is in development.

It is a fact that the retreat from sovereign rights and participation in imperialist plans do not negate the real causes of the problems which can break out at any moment with greater intensity and lead to conflict.

The study of this situation acquires particular importance because of the important developments in the region- developments which are related to the oil and gas deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean.

The existence of deposits of natural gas LEVIATHON between Israel, Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, and the Sinai peninsular has already been confirmed- as well as the existence of the deposit “TAMAR” in the sea region between Cyprus, Egypt and Israel.

The terms of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between Cyprus and Egypt have already been agreed on, as well as been Cyprus and Israel, provoking the reaction of Turkey. At the same time Lebanon has unilaterally declared its own EEZ and stated that it will defend its sovereign rights.

These are developments which express the significant sharpening of contradictions and constitute a potentially serious danger of military confrontations.

Certain conclusions can be drawn from this situation and consequently the CPs are faced with new important tasks in our region.

Firstly: Capitalist development both in the conditions of economic growth, as well as in the crisis phase, benefits capital and its profitability, strengthens the process of concentration, intensifies the exploitation of the working class and the oppression of the popular strata.

Capitalism cannot ensure the right to full time and stable work for all.

All the popular problems are being aggravated, poverty is on the increase, relative and absolute deprivation is also increasing which embraces a large percentage of the population in the countries of the Balkans.

The capitalist crisis has demonstrated the boundaries of the exploitative system and even further highlights the need for the determination of strategy and tactics which will meet the demands of the class struggle, which will be oriented to the overthrow of capitalism.

This is the reality and the tasks for our daily activity are determined by this goal, taking into account that our epoch is the era of the transition from capitalism to socialism-because capitalism has entered its final phase, the imperialist stage. Foreign or domestic monopoly groups dominate in all the Balkan states, the basic contradiction between labour and capital is deepening and can only be resolved by a revolution, within the framework of the nation-state which remains the main arena of class struggle.

Uneven development gives rise to inequality in international relations. These relations are determined by the economic, military, and political power of each individual capitalist state, its position in the imperialist chain.

This approach is rooted in the objective reality; it shields us from mistaken positions which present capitalist states with an intermediate, subordinate position in the imperialist system as colonies or countries which are allegedly under the “occupation” of the IMF and the EU.

This is a vital issue. The stance in relation to the bourgeois classes, the character of alliances, the class struggle and its prospect are all defined by this.

The strategy which is oriented to the struggle for socialism requires a line of struggle and rallying which will contribute to the concentration of all the anti-monopoly and anti-imperialist forces, placing special emphasis on the forging of the class unity of the working class, on its social alliance with the small and medium farmers, and the poor self-employed in the city.

Our party has acquired a rich experience from the policy of alliances and stresses that temporary arrangements with social-democratic forces in order to serve, for example, electoral goals, confuse the people, impede the independent activity of the CP and its development.

Life itself has proved the importance of confronting the opportunist forces which pretend to be “friends of the people” and work systematically for the assimilation of the working class to the goals of capital and the imperialist unions. SYN/SYRIZA in Greece does exactly this, as well as the ultra-left groups, in their own misleading way, which have assisted government and employer led trade unionism for years, resorting to anti-communism, and having a hostile attitude towards the socialism which was constructed in the 20^th century.

There needs to be a high level of readiness and a decisive attitude to the Party of the European Left (PEL) in the Balkans and in Europe more generally, as it plays a leading role in the attempt to corrupt and social-democratize the CPs through the creation of networks and formations (which call themselves “left”) and the utilization of opportunist parties such as Die Linke from Germany.

The KKE defends the socialism which was constructed in the Soviet Union and the other socialist countries. It fights against the slanders, anti-historical approaches-including those which intentionally resuscitate “anti-Stalinism” in order to blacken the major achievements of the Soviet people during the period when the solid foundations of socialist construction were laid.

The task of defending socialism and highlighting the advantages of the new system is rooted in objective realty and historical experience, because the eternal problems of capitalism were solved there in a few years.

No one can doubt the importance of safe-guarding the right of work for everyone, and the disappearance of the scourge of unemployment. No one can doubt the tremendous progress which was made in social policy, modern, upgraded and free state services in Health, Welfare, Education, Culture and Sports.

No one call into question its contribution to the solution of national problems, in the struggle against imperialism, to the collapse of colonialism, and the great ant-fascist victory of the peoples.

We can confront anti-communism with these above-mentioned achievements, by taking on the responsibility of disseminating this widely among the people and youth, by identifying anti-communism with the attempts to criminalize social development, opening up a front with capitalist barbarity and with the capitalist states which outlaw the activity of CPs and communist symbols, persecute communists, with the assistance of the European Union and other imperialist mechanisms.

The study and critical attitude of the KKE, which was recorded in the relevant decision of the 18^th Congress, focussed on the causes and the factors which led to the historical setback, to the counterrevolution and the restoration of capitalism.

It highlighted the problems of the opportunist corruption of the CPs, the violation of the law of the socialist-communist formation and socialist construction.

This experience is valuable in order to examine, for example, the developments in China where capitalist relations of production predominate, in order to express our position concerning so-called market socialism, in order to study with a critical eye the developments in Cuba and Vietnam.

We pay special attention to this issue because a coordinated attempt to replace the laws of class struggle and socialist construction with the opportunist fabrication “socialism in the 21^st century” is in progress in the name of national peculiarities. “Socialism in the 21^st century” has nothing to do with scientific socialism, working class power, the socialization of the means of production and central planning; instead it promotes the utopian prospect of a humanized capitalism.

Secondly, the sharpening of inter-imperialist contradictions, the competition between the bourgeois classes in this region and the danger of war mean that the communists have major tasks-that they must inform the peoples and develop a consistent anti-imperialist struggle against all the imperialist unions and organizations, preventing entrapment in the logic of the so-called “multi-polar world”, the acceptance of which leads the peoples into submitting to one or the other imperialist.

Our worry concerning the course of developments is based on reality, i.e. that uneven development leads to a change in the correlation of forces.

The capitalist crisis accelerates the processes and upheavals in the imperialist pyramid at the expense of the USA, in favour of the so-called up and coming powers with strong capitalist economies (China, India, Brazil, Russia), with the EU maintaining its strength. A tough fight is being waged among the imperialist powers concerning the interests of their monopolies, which have never stopped needing a national base, the nation-state.

In these conditions the position of Lenin is particularly important, which warns that “Under capitalism, there are no other means of restoring the periodically disturbed equilibrium than crises in industry and wars in politics. Of course, temporary agreements are possible between capitalists and between states.”

Thirdly, we would like to reiterate that the strength of the CPs is to be found in the shaping of a revolutionary strategy, the acquisition of a non-negotiable position that the CPs determine their position guided by the goals of abolishing the exploitation of man by man and the satisfaction of the needs of the people- which renders socialism both relevant and necessary as the answer to capitalist barbarity.

These positions can strengthen and create a new quality in the ideological-political bonds with the working class and the popular strata, can open the way to the CPs’ presence in the factories, businesses, labour movement, trade unions so that even the smallest revolutionary core can acquire substance and increase its prestige.

With the goal of strengthening the CPs in our region, we must develop our joint activity over the next period based on the aims which were set out by the International Meeting of the CPs in South Africa for us to concentrate our attention on.

1. The joint activity of the class-oriented forces, support for the WFTU, which will hold its congress in the spring of this year in Greece, support for the other anti-imperialist organizations, the development of initiatives of support and solidarity with working class and popular struggles in the Balkans , in activity for the rights of women, youth and immigrants.
2. To develop joint activity against NATO, the EU and imperialist aggression
3. To study and utilize the experience of the Balkan anti-NATO centre, so that initiatives against the imperialist military presence in our region are strengthened, as well as against foreign military bases and armies, against the participation of military forces from Balkan countries in NATO and EU missions in other countries, and the demand for the return of forces which have already been deployed in these missions.
4. For the coordinated activity against Anti-communism so that a mass movement be created for the defence of socialism and its historic contribution to social progress, to respond to the anti-historical equation of communism with fascism, to demand the un-banning of CPs and communist symbols.
5. To strengthen solidarity with the Palestinian and Cypriot peoples, to seek a just and viable solution, to fight for the release of the 5 Cuban militants.
6. The communist and workers’ parties of the Balkans can have their won positive contribution to the success of both Meeting of the European CPs, and the 13^th International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ parties, which will be held in Athens in 2011.