p Dear Comrades,

p Allow me, on behalf of the Central Committee of the CPSU and all Soviet Communists, to extend heartfelt greetings to the delegations of the fraternal Parties who have come to take part in the International Meeting. Through you we warmly greet millions of like-minded men and fellow-fighters in all countries, on all continents who, under the banner of Marxism-Leninism, champion the interests of the working class and all working people, and carry on the struggle against imperialism, for socialism, for peace, democracy and national independence.

p Representatives of 75 Parties are taking part in our Meeting.

p It is no exaggeration to say that the attention of the whole world is now centred on this hall. Our numerous friends are closely following our work. Theirs is an understandable interest. It is determined above all by the role of the communist movement as the most influential international force of our day. It is determined by the pressing nature of the problems which we are going to discuss and on which we are to work out a common stand.

p The progress of the Meeting will also be closely watched by our class enemies—the imperialists of all countries and their menials. That is not surprising. They fear our unity, and will, of course, try to do everything they can to minimise the importance of the Meeting, to throw a false light on its progress and results. We can be quite sure that the greater the will for unity of action, for cohesion displayed by our Meeting, the stronger the blow that it will inflict on the imperialist calculations.

p The main question on the agenda is of vital importance to all the peoples. It can be settled fully and successfully only through a united effort by the Communists, the working class, and the broadest masses of working people in every corner of the world. The very fact that this Meeting has been called is evidence that Communists understand their high responsibility for the future of the world and social progress, and that they are resolved to do their duty to the international working class and to the peoples.

p Communists have always been and are in the vanguard of the struggle against imperialism, for victory of the cause of socialism, democracy and social progress. 58 Their unity, the pooling of their efforts have been and remain an important condition of success in the anti-imperialist revolutionary struggle, and an important requisite for fresh victories of socialism.

p As we begin discussion of the tasks before us we realise that there is much important work to be done. For this, good conditions have now been created, as the Meeting was preceded by long and thorough preparation. In a comradely, democratic atmosphere, the representatives of many fraternal Parties had a detailed discussion of a wide range of political and organisational questions, and worked out the draft documents. The great positive significance of the preparatory work lies in the fact that it has enabled each Party to obtain a better knowledge of the problems which are being tackled by the various contingents of the communist movement, and to co-ordinate their stand on the basic urgent questions of the anti-imperialist struggle. The fruitfulness of international cooperation between the Communist and Workers’ Parties has been demonstrated in practice once again.

p We highly appreciate the contribution of all the fraternal Parties taking part in the preparatory work at its various stages. We are sure that the spirit of comradeship and internationalism, the will for unity of the communist movement, which was strongly manifested in the course of the preparatory work, will also determine the whole atmosphere at this Meeting.

p Our Party and the whole Soviet people highly value the confidence you have shown in deciding to hold the international forum of Communists in Moscow, our capital. We wish to assure you, comrades, that in fulfilling our Central Committee’s instructions, the CPSU delegation will, for its part, do everything it can to make the work of this Meeting successful and fruitful.

p We hope, too, that the delegations of the fraternal Parties will be able to use their stay in the USSR to acquaint themselves with the life and work of the Soviet people, and to meet our country’s working people.

The Central Committee of the CPSU expresses confidence that the Meeting will be an important stage in mobilising all revolutionary, liberation and progressive forces of our day for the struggle against imperialism, and will make a big contribution to the unity of the international communist movement on the principles of Marxism-Leninism, proletarian internationalism.