The Emergency Euro-Mediterranean Encounter: Communiqué
On July 23-25, 2018, an Emergency Euro-Mediterranean Encounter, called by the Balkan Socialist Center “Christian Rakovsky” and the web network RedMed, was successfully held in Eretria, Greece. Its aim was to discuss and take practical steps of action in relation to the dangerous situation produced by the world capitalist crisis and the escalation of war in the Middle East, the Balkans, and Europe, marked by the “diplomatic carnage” of the five days visit by Trump in Europe (July 11-16, 2018).
The tragedy of the victims of the fires in Greece, the days of the Encounter, moved all the participants who declared, through a special statement, their solidarity.
Revolutionary Marxist and Communist parties, organizations, journals and militants from eleven countries took part in the proceedings.
From Greece: EEK (Workers Revolutionary Party, the host of the event), NAR( New Left Current for Communist Liberation), Syntonismo/ Coordination of Trade Unions, Students, and local movements for the Refugees, plus activists working in “hot spots” for refugees.
From Turkey : the DIP (Revolutionary Workers Party)
From Iran: a woman militant
From Russia: OKP (United Communist party) and RPK (Russian Party of Communists)
From Finland: MTL (Marxist Workers League)
From Spain: GIO (Gruppo Independencia Obrera- Workers Independence Group)
From France: Rennaisance Ouvriere Revolutionnaire-ROR (Revolutionary Workers Renaissance)
From Italy: Prospettiva Operaia (Workers Perspective)
From Britain: members of the Editorial Board of Critique
From South Africa: militants of the Unity movement
From Argentina: Partido Obrero
From Hungary, the Marxist Journal Eszmélét contributed to the Encounter by sending the essay Moments of Hegemony, written by three members of the Karl Polanyi Center in Budapest.
Messages of greetings were sent from Palestine, by the Popular Front of Liberation of Palestine, and from Azerbaijan by the group Həqiqat (“Truth”).
The participants of the Encounter voted
- the Final Resolution Fight imperialism and war by the international socialist revolution! Forward to the revolutionary International (unanimously)
- the already mentioned Statement of Solidarity to the victims of the fires in Greece (unanimously)
- a statement on Palestine (by majority vote, one abstention)
- a statement on the war in Yemen (by majority vote, two abstentions)
- a statement on Macedonia and the Zaev-Tsipras Prespes Agreement (unanimously)
- a statement on the world women’s movement and the right to abortion (proposed by the Partido Obrero, amended, upon the proposal of DIP, by the Women’s Commission of the Encounter, and voted unanimously)
Most of the participants in the Encounter participated also in the 13th International Marxist Education Camp (July 26-29, 2018) organized successfully by the EEK and its youth organization OEN (Organization of Revolutionary Youth). This year it was dedicated to the 200 years from Karl Marx’s birth, the 50 years from the revolutionary 1968, and the struggle for the International.
Building the International -as it was written in a special banner of the Rakovsky Center in the hall of the meetings- was the axis of the important and intense work during the entire week.
The Secretariat of the Balkan Socialist Center “Christian Rakovsky”
The Editorial Board of RedMed
July 30, 2018
