THE Working Group of the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties (IMCWP) met on June 21 and 22 in Cyprus. The meeting was hosted by AKEL. Sitaram Yechury, Polit Bureau member and Head of the International Department represented the CPI(M) in the meeting. The meeting assumed importance due to the fact that it had on its agenda to review the entire process of the meetings, which were being regularly organised since the last fifteen years and the composition of the Working Group. Also in the agenda were finalising the theme, dates and other details of the 16 IMCWP to be held in Ecuador and exchange of views on the national and international situation. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the socialist bloc in 1990, a need was felt for all the communist and workers parties to meet regularly and exchange views about the contemporary developments. In 1993, the CPI(M) had organised an international seminar on the 'Contemporary World Situation and the validity of Marxism'. Many participating parties felt that such effort needs to be continued and from 1998, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) took up this task of organising international meetings. From that year onwards seven consecutive meetings were hosted by the KKE in Greece and consequently it was decided that the meetings will be organised in different countries outside of Greece to expand the process. Accordingly, subsequent meetings were held in Portugal, Belarus, Latin America (Brazil), Asia (India, co-hosted by the CPI(M) and CPI), Lebanon and South Africa. The number of parties taking part in these meetings saw a steady increase reflecting the growing relevance and validity of Marxism. A working group was formed to facilitate the organisation of these meetings consisting of 11 parties, of which the CPI(M) too is a member. In the 15th IMCWP, after an intense discussion, it was felt that the entire process has to be reviewed on the basis of the experiences gained during the past fifteen years and the Working Group was assigned the responsibility to discuss and come out with some proposals. The Working Group met in Cyprus precisely for this purpose and had come with certain proposals, which will be placed before the IMCWP for consideration and acceptance. The Working Group decided that “until a final decision has been made, the composition of the Working Group (11 parties), together with the five parties associated with its work from the 15th IMCWP, primarily for organising the 16th IMCWP, will be maintained”. The Working Group decided that the theme for the 16th meeting will be “the role of Communist and Workers' Parties in the struggle against imperialism and capitalist exploitation – which causes crises and wars and gives rise to fascist and reactionary forces. For workers' and peoples' rights and for national and social emancipation; for socialism”. The meeting will be held in Guayaquil, Ecuador from November 14 to 16, 2014. The meeting adopted a statement on the situation in Ukraine. The statement: “Denounces the declared policy of the Ukrainian authorities to outlaw the Communist Party of Ukraine. It denounces the terror unleashed against the communists and other democratic forces in the country, the burning of the Communist Party's Central Offices and the attempt to seize its assets. It deplores the actions of the fascist and extreme-right wing organizations in the country who dream about the revival of fascism”. Further it stated: “The policy of imperialist intervention in the country pursued by the US and the EU within the framework of the undeclared war for energy sources and supply routes has provoked and is causing human suffering, putting the region in grave danger of the outbreak of war. International Law has been violated in various ways, first and foremost by imperialist circles which are hypocritically pretending that they are its guardians”. It called for “an immediate end to the military operations carried out by the Ukrainian government in the southeast region of Ukraine, for an immediate ceasefire and the assurance that the possibility will immediately and in practice be given for peace to prevail, guaranteeing the rights of the people as whole”. The meeting of the Working Group, which is open to all the parties part of the IMCWP process, was attended by 35 representatives of 24 parties, coming from 20 countries. Andros Kyprianou, general secretary of the AKEL inaugurated the meeting, welcoming all the representative parties and explained about the current economic and political situation in Cyprus. He highlighted the problems faced by the Cypriots due to the economic recession and the imposition of stringent conditions on the economy by the IMF and the EU. The right-wing government in Cyprus is bowing to the pressure exerted by these financial institutions and imposing severe burdens on the people, adversely impacting their livelihood. He also brought to the notice of the representatives, the various struggles launched by the AKEL and shared some of those experiences. The well-organised meeting ended with a resolve to further intensify the struggles against the ongoing onslaught on the livelihood of people and strengthen the communist and workers' parties across the world to march ahead in their respective countries towards socialism.