Giorgos Toussas, member of the CC and MEP of the KKE, participated in an internationalist event of the CP of Italy in Rome on Saturday 5th of April and noted the following in his speech:

“Dear comrades,

We would like to thank you for inviting us to the event for the presentation of the “International Communist Review” (ICR) in Rome.

The ICR emerged in a period when the international communist movement finds itself in a state of retreat, in the period that followed the victory of the counterrevolution in the USSR and the countries of Eastern and Central Europe. It emerged in a period when the communist movement faces new questions regarding the development of the contemporary class struggle.

You may know that the KKE has made many efforts over the past 20 years and it has dealt systematically with the issue of the best possible coordination and the as effective as possible joint activity of the communist movement. A result of this effort was the establishment of the International Meetings of Communist and Workers’ Parties which were embraced and supported by dozens of parties. In our region we also contributed to the meetings of Balkan CPs, to the meetings of the CPs of the Eastern Mediterranean as well as to the European Communist Meetings and the thematic meetings of CPs. We have developed close bilateral relations with dozens of Communist Parties. Five months ago, 28 communist and workers’ parties of Europe founded, upon the invitation of the KKE, the “Initiative of Communist and Workers’ Parties of Europe”, a new form of regional cooperation of the communist parties.

In our last congress that took place in 2013 our party assessed that the situation in the international communist movement is characterized by an ideological-political and organizational crisis. We believe that this assessment remains valid. This weakness is expressed in conditions of the world capitalist crisis, of the sharpening of the inter-imperialist contradictions that manifest themselves with wars and interventions but also with serious processes within the imperialist unions such as the EU. In this framework we might see unprecedented developments which we haven’t seen over the last 50 years, developments which will be accompanied by a generalized war against the workers’ rights and achievements.

This situation creates increased duties for the communist parties. Even more so, as in a series of regions the forces of opportunism proceed to attack the history, the traditions and the principles of the international communist movement.

The so called European Left Party (ELP) has been founded in Europe with the participation of certain CPs, above all of those which in the past followed the so-called current of eurocommunism. Objectively, the presence of the ELP constitutes, irrespective of subjective choices and declarations, the acceptance of the bourgeois legitimacy, the negation of the theory of scientific socialism, of the communist traditions and the experience of the socialist revolutions in the 20th century. The ELP is promoting the assimilation of the labour movement into the structures of the European Union while at the same time it seeks the extension of its activity through the various networks in the Middle East, in Africa, in the former USSR and in Latin America.

The so-called logic of “stages” towards socialism is still causing a great damage. This view is linked to the participation of the CPs in bourgeois governments on the terrain of capitalist society. Thus, the communist movement is providing a life jacket to capitalism and the bourgeois system, and becomes an appendage of social democracy in the name of the “unity of the left”. This view which treats socialism as a chimera, as something on the horizon that will always exist but will always be out of reach, is trapping the struggle of the working class within the system. As a result, the working class is struggling for the correction and not for the overthrow of the system. Furthermore, it criticizes the KKE and the other parties that promote the timeliness and necessity of socialism as sectarian despite the fact that in our country thousands of working people, unemployed people, farmers, self employed are rallying around the revolutionary line of the KKE and on this basis they are taking to the streets, struggling against the anti-people measures, strengthening their unity against the monopolies and capitalism, contributing to the maturation of the subjective factor for the prevention of the anti-people measures and the overthrow of the capitalist barbarity.

Dear comrades,

The issue of the “stages”, actually the issue of the character of the impending revolution, is linked to the analysis of reality that each party makes. The KKE remains faithful to the Leninist perception about imperialism; it clearly opposes all imperialist unions, as they are built with the materials of the monopolies, of capitalist profit and inter-imperialist competition.

Today several communist parties are expressing their loyalty to Marxism-Leninism but, unfortunately, they have abandoned its content when dealing with issues like imperialism, interstate unions, the so called “emerging powers”, the stance towards social democracy, the centre-left, opportunism, the stance regarding the possibility of utilizing all forms of struggle in order to successfully confront capitalist violence, the imperialist intervention. They sow parliamentary illusions, they reject the socialism which we knew. They promote mistaken views about “models” of socialism, something that leads to the negation of the scientific laws of the socialist revolution and construction.

As you know, our party has taken a position on these issues and other issues as well, which we can not present in the framework of this speech.

Our party assesses that it is necessary to form a discrete global pole of the communist movement, a discrete form of cooperation and coordination at international and regional level that goes beyond the forms which have been achieved so far with the International Meetings of Communist and Workers’ Parties.

In this direction, we contributed to the decision to establish the “International Communist Review”. According to the “Declaration of the Istanbul” the ICR is based on the common view, which has been achieved to one extent or another, regarding the defense of the principles of Marxism-Leninism, proletarian internationalism, the necessity of the socialist revolution and the construction of the socialist society.

This journal is not merely an informative journal or a journal that serves the exchange of views. Besides, this goal is served by other publications. As is mentioned in the Declaration of Istanbul it is a journal that develops dialogue and reflection on a specific given ideological-political basis. It is a launching pad:

For the defence and the scientific underpinning of the objective necessity for the existence of the communist party, of the party of a new type i.e. the Leninist principles for its foundation and operation against the views that promote its assimilation and diffusion into wider opportunist formations in the name of the “unity of the left”.

To highlight the vanguard leading role of the working class in the class struggle for the overthrow of capitalism, for social progress, socialism, against the opportunist unscientific practice that substitutes the working class with a patchwork of petty bourgeois forces presented as the new revolutionary subject.

To expose imperialist barbarity and contribute to the development of the struggle against the imperialist unions such as NATO, EU, IMF, OSCE etc.

To resolutely defend the history of the communist movement and to carry out the further critical study of the historical experience that will reinforce the constant struggle of the communist parties against the slanderous, anti-communist attack of the capitalist forces, the revisionists of history.

So , we can say that a path has been created, even if we are still at the beginning of it. There are very serious difficulties, but the basic issue is for the importance of this effort to be more deeply understood as well as the demands that arise from this achievement, which must be consolidated and stabilized.

Dear comrades,

4 issues of the ICR have been published up until now and the 5th is being prepared. The process which is followed, which provides for the collective discussion of the contributions of our representatives in the Editorial Board makes it possible for collective comradely discussion to be developed in the meetings and for the articles of the journal to be formed through a joint effort. Such a discussion could not take place and have positive results in the International Meetings, as there are parties that participate in them that have openly gone down the road of their ideological and political mutation and their distancing from the Marxist-Leninist worldview.

No party, including of course the KKE, can impose its opinion, assessments on other CPs.

Nevertheless, we consider it crucial that the differing approaches on various issues not be concealed, but that there should be a constructive effort to overcome them, always of course in line with the principles of our worldview. The common strategic view is not a given. It must be formed. Preconditions for the development of a common strategic view are not formed through concealing but through revealing the disagreements and at the same time achieving the maximum possible level of political agreement on the basis of Marxism-Leninism, the struggle against imperialism and opportunism.

The unity of the international communist movement is what is required and it is not a given. When we say unity, we do not mean the existence of formal relations between the CPs, the concealment of differences or the submission to schema of a revisionist or opportunist character in the name of unity. Consequently, despite the important steps that have been taken in the last 20 or so years regarding the coordination of action, issues of expressing solidarity by the communist and workers’ parties, the problem of the unity of the international communist movement remains, as this has its precondition above all the formation of a joint strategic view, the acquisition of ideological-political unity. Such unity can only exist in the direction of overcoming the crisis in the international communist movement.

The creation of the ICR operates in the direction of overcoming the crisis. The messages which we have received both from inside our country, as well as from abroad from other CPs and communists, are encouraging for the ICR. Today it is published in 7 languages (English, Spanish, Russian, French, Greek, Portuguese and Italian). We hope that it will appear soon in German and Turkish.

Of course, there are issues, as the parties that participate in the ICR maintain different assessments, we are bound by programmatic or other documents and there are difficulties sometimes. Also there are other issues which one party might have studied better or less well. In brief, there is the phenomenon of the different level of theoretical study on various issues, of the different experience on various issues that the one or the other party may have, which participate in the ICR through their theoretical journals. This is logical and to an extent does not threaten the continuation of the ICR.

In any case we are optimistic: The project for the emergence of a “communist pole” will succeed one way or another! Because it is necessary for the international communist movement to chart a common revolutionary strategy!

With these thoughts we send you warm comradely greetings from Greece, where the communists will wage a tough triple electoral battle in May; the municipal, regional and EU Parliamentary elections. The political proposal of the KKE requires a robust labour movement, which will play the leading role in the construction of the people’s alliance. Inside this alliance the working class, the poor farmers, the self-employed, the young men and women of the popular families and pensioners will unite their forces against the monopolies, capitalism, in order to emerge as a force for the overthrow. The political proposal of the KKE provides for the socialization of the means of production, the central planning of the economy, the disengagement of our country from the EU and NATO, with working class-people’s power. The strengthening of the KKE is at the heart of this effort, in the trade unions and the other organizations of the mass movement, in the municipalities and regional authorities, in the EU Parliament and the Parliament.”