On behalf of the Portuguese Communist Party, I want to once again thank the presence and solidarity of those present.
I want to talk the friendly words in solidarity with our April Revolution, towards our Party and our dear comrade Álvaro Cunhal, the centennial of whose birth we celebrated last year, not only as the just homage to one of the most outstanding builders of the Revolution, but also because his life, thinking and struggle encapsulate teaching of the highest value for our revolutionary intervention today. Those words constitute a valuable stimulus to our struggle.
But most of all I want to value the experiences, analyses and reflections you have brought and that, on our part, we will take into consideration in our own reflection and struggle to defeat the violent offensive of the dominant classes to ultimately destroy the achievements of our April Revolution, liquidate our progressive Constitution, reconfigure the Portuguese State and place it, without sharing, at the service of the big economic and financial groups and imperialism.
A struggle that has as its immediate alternative a patriotic and left-wing policy and government – that breaks with 38 years of right-wing policy and the process of European capitalist integration – alternative inserted in the struggle for the realization of our Program for an Advanced Democracy, which in turn is and nitrating and constitutive part of the struggle for the construction in Portugal of a socialist and communist society, as was the case with the Democratic and National Revolution.
The time available for such a vast theme was short.
Nonetheless, the contributions you’ve brought to the Seminar put into evidence not only the depth of the Portuguese Revolution, original as all true revolutions, but the great changes in the international situation in the forty years that separate us from April of 1974. Then, we lived the time of the advance of the forces of progress, socialism and peace, and with direct incidence upon the situation in Portugal – a country simultaneously colonial and colonized – a liberating struggle of the peoples of Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, S. Tomé e Príncipe and East Timor, direct allies in the struggle of the Portuguese people against fascism and colonialism, and with whose revolutionary movement of liberation PCP is proud to have ties of deep friendship and cooperation.
As a result of the advances of the socialist camp, the defeat of colonial empires, the history of the defeat of US American imperialism in Vietnam and in all Indochina, important victories from Nicaragua to Iran, the climate of international clarification, a correlation of forces was created that favored the Portuguese Revolution and that, while not stopping, limited the intervention of imperialism (which was enormous) in the internal affairs of Portugal.
Today, as a result of the decisive defeats of socialism in the USSR and Eastern Europe, the situation, as referred here, is completely different, with the violent offensive of capital against the achievements and rights of workers; with the generalization of destabilizing actions and wars of imperialist aggression; with the advance of fascism; with the growth of militarism and the reinforcement of NATO, that today, the Wales, discusses its expansion and gives new steps in its aggressive strategy. The threats of a conflict of catastrophic proportions are in reality enormous and, reinforcing the movement of peace and anti-imperialist solidarity, everything should be done to vanquish them.
We also heard evidence that imperialism – in the midst of a profound crisis – is not free to impose it exploitation and aggressive policies; that everywhere, starting with our countries, peoples resist and struggle against imperialism, for national sovereignty, for social progress and socialism; that there are motives to trust that our liberating ideals with triumph in the end.
Therefore, the reinforcement of our parties and the strengthening of our cooperation and internationalist solidarity is of crucial importance. Solidarity with the peoples that are victims of imperialist intervention, subversion and aggression. Towards the people that struggle for national liberation, like the peoples of Palestine and of the Western Sahara, whose struggle for auto-determination and independence PCP has always supported. Towards the peoples that, like in the Ukraine, resist fascism or that, like in Syria, struggle against foreign aggression and courageously defend their sovereignty. Towards the peoples that are building socialism, like in Cuba, facing decades of a criminal blockade, or that are committed towards hopeful processes of revolutionary change and transformation, like in Venezuela.
Once again, I thank you presence and contributions towards this Seminar.
We are parties with differentiated trajectories, experiences, national situation, immediate tasks and programs, but we have a common enemy and converge in our liberating ideals.
The strengthening of our friendship and cooperation – while respecting our identities and sovereignties – is a demand of the times we are living, difficult and dangerous times, but full of revolutionary potentials.
We sincerely hope that this Seminar, having our April Revolution as a point of reference, has contributed to reinforce our friendship and reciprocal solidarity.
