Dear Comrades,

I am mandated by the National Council of the Communist Party of India, to greet the Communist Party of Greece and all its members on the occasion of its 80^th anniversary. We highly value the initiative the Greek Party has taken to organize this International Conference to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the Communist Manifesto. Our Party considers this as a significant opportunity, where Communist and Worker’s Parties from different countries have gathered to deliberate upon the theme, «the Communist Parties under Today’s Conditions».

Prophets of doom had cried aloud about the «end of history». They labored overtime to propagate that the historical role of communists has come to an end. According to them the New World view opened up by Communist Manifesto, 150 years ago had become out-dated. Hence, it is of prime importance for the Communists all over the world, to reaffirm their historical role basing themselves on the science of Marxism-Leninism.

We are witnessing many unforeseen and rapid developments in the world today. New questions have been thrown up. These questions have to be answered on the basis of concrete analysis based on facts. The challenge before us is to apply the science of Marxism in the specific situation and thus further enrich it.

Capitalism in the post-war world has been able to achieve a fresh lease of life, adapting itself to the gains of the Scientific and Technological Revolution (STR). The earlier assessment that we have entered a period of the General Crisis of Capitalism and that capitalism is on the brink of collapse in one or the other country has not been borne out by facts. Capitalism has shown its resilience, its capacity to strive; to adapt itself to changed conditions. True, the colonial system has collapsed following the resounding defeat of Fascism, in which the Soviet Union and Communists everywhere had played a decisive role. As a result, more than 100 countries have attained independence and are trying to develop their economies.

The developed capitalist countries have been able to acquire fresh markets and raw material resources and find new areas of export of capital in the name of rendering help to the newly liberated countries. Capitalism could expand its market, and at the same time could succeed in facing the crisis situation. As it is seen today, the movement of international finance capital has grown many folds. The mobility of their operation defines description. They crisscross international borders, responding to the slightest tremor in economic life, in interest, or currency rates, or for purely speculative purposes in stock exchanges. Such speculative mobility helped forward by communication technology has sent currencies of several countries into a tailspin. It has been calculated that the global transfer of capital per year is more than 30 times as high as regular global trade. It shows the vast scale of operation of «footloose hot money», of financial capital on the rampage. We have seen the results in the collapse of the «Asian tigers» and in what is known as the «Asian crisis». But is it only an «Asian crisis»? It is the forerunner of a global crisis of capitalism, which will affect all countries. The developing countries have become heavily indebted to international finance capital, which is earning ever more tribute from them. The rich countries are getting richer and the poor relatively poorer. Their share in trade, in the international division of wealth is declining.

Today, the imperialist instruments of world domination such as IMF, W.B, WTO, and MNCs are mounting attacks against the majority of the world population. The protagonists of the exploiting system are today boasting about a relative stabilization of the capitalist system, where the G-7 countries are in a position to dictate terms-both economic and political-to the rest of the world. They have come up with the instrument of the «Multilateral Agreement on Investments» so as to have an unbridled and unfettered access to the economy and resources of all countries.

The Soviet Union collapsed as a result of various factors, which Communist parties in our country, as also in other countries has thoroughly analyzed. We have however the shining examples of China, Vietnam, Cuba and other socialist countries who are not only defending their revolution, their socialist system, but are forging ahead by developing their economy in the face of the new challenges. In other countries, communists are in the forefront of the struggle for people’s rights and demands.

Do all these facts indicate that the goal and the path that was pointed out by the Communist Manifesto 150 years ago has ceased to be relevant? The answer should be a clear and emphatic No!

Humanity is faced with the hardships, resulting from capitalist exploitation, more than ever before. The inhuman nature of capital, which has «converted the physician, the lawyer, the priest, the poet, the man of science as its paid wage slave» has 100 times worsened and its crazy chase for markets and ever more profits has caused unending miseries for the whole population of the developing world as well as their own. Capitalism is vandalizing the world’s environment, and thus endangering the future of coming generations.

The advancement of STR has effected tremendous change in all fields of production. A new working class has emerged, with a change in its composition and character. But the basic essence of the working class remains unchanged. Though the thrust of production has shifted from manufacturing sector to service sector, it is the working class that remains the source of the surplus value.

Even the backward agriculture in the developing countries has been drawn into the global market. Hence, the capitalist laws of market are in force in every sector of production. The MNCs operating globally represent the tendency of capitalist concentration and its globalization.

The basic contradictions in the capitalist system are developing in new magnitudes. Contradictions between the handful of people expropriating all the wealth and the vast majority of the world-working people are widening. Contradictions between the developed the developing world, between the rich and the poor countries are growing. Contradictions between the developed countries themselves have not disappeared. The fragility of capitalist stabilization has been exposed by the financial crisis, which recently originated in the so-called «Asian Miracles» and threw everything out of gear.

It is in the backdrop of this scenario, that the communists have to go forward with their struggle for Democracy and Socialism. Experience of the last decade itself shows that capitalism is neither the end of the human history, nor going back to capitalism can solve the problems of mankind.

Communists, working in varied conditions are called upon by history to undertake a solemn task. That task is to develop Marxism in a creative manner, so that it would be able to address the new challenges of the present day world. «The practical application of the principles will depend, as the Manifesto itself states, everywhere and at all times on the historical conditions for the time being existing». (Marx, Engels preface to the German edition of Communist Manifesto, 1872).

Socialism remains the only answer to the social problems, haunting the people at the threshold of the 21^st century. Only the extension and intensification of class struggle under new conditions will lead us towards a solution, and towards the real socialist option for mankind. There is no so-called «third way» or a «third solution».

It is necessary to analyze the new phenomena that are appearing in social life everywhere with the incisive scientific methodology and view, the science of Marxism-Leninism that we all share.

Broad democratic sections have to be drawn into the struggle against the forces of reaction in each of our countries. The need of the hour is to develop ever more international collaboration in the struggle against the MNC’s and all other instruments of international finance capital, against American imperialism and its arrogant politics, against the MAI etc. International collaboration today also calls for more vigorous solidarity actions in support of all those peoples who are victims of blockades, sanctions etc, and with those who are oppressed by undemocratic regimes.

There has to be more fruitful exchange and sharing of experiences among communist parties on regional and international plane, through bilateral and multilateral exchanges.

Hundred and fifty years have passed since Communist Manifesto proclaimed «The first step in the revolution by the working class, is to raise the proletariat to the position of the ruling class, to win the battle of democracy». And that battle of democracy has to inspire us to close our ranks and to broken our front in order to achieve the goals of peace, freedom and social progress.