(MA Baby, Member Polit Bureau and Head, International Department of the CPI(M) represented the Party in the IMCWP. A detailed report will follow)

THE 23rd International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties (IMCWP) took place on 19–22 October 2023. The meeting was hosted by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) in Izmir, Turkey. The meeting was attended by 121 representatives of 68 parties from 54 countries and 7 parties, who could not attend for various reasons, also sent their greetings. The theme of the meeting was as follows: The political and ideological battles to confront capitalists and imperialism. The tasks of communists to inform and mobilise the working class, youth, women, and intellectuals in the struggle against exploitation, oppression, imperialist lies and historical revisionism; for the social and democratic rights of workers and peoples; against militarism and war, for peace and socialism.

During the meeting, valuable experience was exchanged regarding the struggle of the Communist and Workers’ Parties, of the labour and popular movements, at a time when we witness that class contradictions have deepened and that the capitalist system offers nothing but inequality, poverty, unemployment, war, conflicts and displacement for humanity; that competition and contradictions within the imperialist system continue to increase; that imperialist aggression increasing along with the competition continues to harbour the potential danger of a war that could engulf the whole world.

Assessments were exchanged on the recent political, military, and economic developments. The role of NATO was strongly denounced, as well as its expansion to new countries.

The importance of the developments in Palestine was stressed. Immediate stopping of Israel's aggression and blockade on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank stop was demanded. Full solidarity with the Palestinian people was expressed and the brutal military offensive, the inhuman blockade and the barbarous genocide by Israel in the Gaza Strip was condemned. The support of the USA, Britain, NATO and the EU for the Israeli offensive was denounced. Ending of the Israeli occupation, the creation and recognition of an independent Palestinian state, the cessation and dismantling of the illegal settlements in the Palestinian territories, the release of political prisoners from Israeli jails and the return of refugees was demanded. Internationalist solidarity with the people of Palestine was expressed and the importance of strengthening the struggle in all countries to stop the massacre in the Gaza Strip and end the occupation of Palestine by Israel was stressed.

The war in Ukraine, with its different aspects, was brought into attention by many of the participating parties. There were different approaches regarding the sources and the character of the war; but all parties especially put emphasis on the fact that the struggle against NATO should be intensified.

It was highlighted that under these circumstances the Communist and Workers’ Parties bear the responsibility to organise and lead the struggle of the working peoples, to illuminate the necessity of socialism. It was also emphasised that it is necessary to strengthen internationalist solidarity among the Communist Parties, the class-oriented labour organisations, the movements of the poor farmers and farmworkers, and the popular movements overall.

The need was stressed to strengthen solidarity with the Communist Party of Cuba, Cuba and its people, who have gained independence, equality, important labour and social rights, struggling to defend socialism and the achievements of the Cuban revolution; to strengthen the international condemnation of the genocidal US blockade against Cuba and to demand its end.

It was expressed that anti-communism manifested itself not only in the military operations of imperialism and the direct or covert attempts and interventions against the organisation of communist and workers' parties from different parts of the world threatened the right of the working class to organise.

The fact that the monopoly of capital over the means of communication dominates the channels of information and organisation of the working class and that the bourgeoisie holds the power to silence all revolutionary forces and the disinformation created by imperialism continues to distort reality in line with the interests of imperialism was mentioned. Thus the need to strengthen the ideological and political struggle against the bourgeois media and imperialist lies was emphasised.

The participants of the meeting reiterated their solidarity with the working class of Turkey, that has been facing deeper exploitation and impoverishment day by day. On the occasion of the meeting, which took place on the centenary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey, they saluted the struggle of the communists of Turkey against capitalist exploitation and imperialism.

Furthermore, many Parties expressed their solidarity with the struggles of the workers for their social, political, and trade union rights.

Ahead of 2024, the Communist and Workers' Parties adopted a framework of joint and convergent actions they will develop.

Declaration on Palestine adapted by the IMCWP

The parties participating in the 23rd International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties (IMCWP) held in Izmir, Turkey, 19-22 October 2023:

1. We demand that Israel’s aggression and blockade on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank stop now. We call on the people to continue to take to the streets to struggle, to organise popular mobilisations against Israeli aggression all around the world.

We express our full solidarity with the Palestinian people and condemn the brutal military offensive, the inhuman blockade and the barbarous genocide by the Israel in the Gaza Strip, with thousands of dead civilians, children and elderly, deprived of food, water, medicine and electricity. We denounce the support of the USA, Britain, NATO and the EU for the Israeli offensive.

2. We condemn the decades-long Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, the killings, imprisonment, persecution and settlements. We defend the right of the Palestinian people to a free homeland, to be masters of their own land. We demand an end to the Israeli occupation, the creation and recognition of an independent Palestinian state, the cessation and dismantling of the illegal settlements in the Palestinian territories, the release of prisoners from Israeli jails, the return of refugees in accordance with UN resolution 194.

The occupation of Palestine by Israel, supported by US-NATO imperialism, is the source of the suffering of the Palestinian people, and all the peoples of the region. As long as the occupation continues, the conflicts will continue, the peoples will be prevented from living in peace, they will be in danger of being caught in the vortex of a generalised war.

3. The Communist and Workers’ Parties participating in the 23rd IMCWP, express their internationalist solidarity and call upon the workers, the peoples, the youth, in all countries to strengthen the struggle to stop the massacre in the Gaza Strip and end the occupation of Palestine by Israel to express decisive solidarity with the just struggle of the Palestinian people.