p An Article from the book
Fraternal Friendship and All-Round Cooperation
Moscow, 1969

p This book, a book about the friendship and fraternity of the Soviet and Bulgarian peoples, is issued on a memorable occasion when the People’s Republic of Bulgaria is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the victory of the September armed uprising of 1944. This date, together with you, is being commemorated by the Soviet people, the peoples of other fraternal countries, by all who are working for the triumph of socialism and communism.

p The uprising of September 9, carried out under the leadership of the Bulgarian Communist Party at a time when the Soviet Army had launched broad offensive operations, overthrew the fascist-monarchist regime, opened the way to the building of socialism on Bulgarian soil and was a landmark in the development of the world revolutionary process.

p Deep-going changes in all spheres of life have occurred in Bulgaria during the past years. It can be said without exaggeration that after the victory of people’s power, Bulgaria made a gigantic leap in her social, economic and cultural development and became an active factor of world progress. These achievements attest to the correctness of the chosen path and are a result of the heroic, inspired labour of the Bulgarian people and their vanguard, the Bulgarian Communist Party.

p The successes of socialist Bulgaria are also convincing proof of the advantages afforded by all-round, equal and mutually beneficial cooperation among the fraternal socialist countries, based on the tried and tested principles of Marxism-Leninism.

p The relations of solidarity, sincere friendship and brotherhood which have arisen between the Soviet Union and People’s Bulgaria are a striking example of the new type of ties between states, an example of effective socialist internationalism. They encompass practically all sides of life in our countries: Party and economic management activities, the economy, science, questions of culture and foreign policy and the organisation of defence.

p The friendly ties between Russia and Bulgaria have a long history. As true internationalists, we Communists cherish and develop the good traditions in the relations between peoples. We cherish the historical interpenetrative iniluence of Russian and Bulgarian cultures, the link between the revolutionary-democratic movement in Russia and the national liberation movement in Bulgaria. Fraternal friendship between our countries has been sealed for ever by our joint struggle for freedom and against the foreign invaders.

p After September 9, 1944, Soviet-Bulgarian ties acquired a new basis and a new quality. The first Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance based, in the words of Georgi Dimitrov, on the principle of loyalty for loyalty, friendship for friendship, was concluded in 1948 and became an important stage in the road towards a deepening of the political, economic and cultural ties between our two countries.

p The new Soviet-Bulgarian treaty signed in 1967 solemnly proclaims: "The eternal unbreakable friendship, fraternal assistance and all-round close cooperation between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, founded on the immutable principles of socialist internationalism, meet the basic interests of the peoples of both countries and the entire socialist community of nations.” And this is no mere declaration. It is a statement of an indefeasible historical fact, establishing the community of our interests, of our aims, of our destinies.

p It is this community that underlies the close political alliance between our states, their fruitful cooperation in the international arena, in the struggle against aggressive imperialist policy and for peace and the security of the nations.

p Imperialism, as you know, has not abandoned hope to regain the positions it lost in the world arena. In recent years imperialist circles have been making repeated efforts in this direction—from downright armed aggression to attempts to 227 split the family of socialist states, to stimulate centrifugal tendencies in it, to reanimate anti-socialist forces and weaken the leading role of the Communist Parties. That is why the CPSU and the Bulgarian Communist Party, together with the other fraternal Parties, are giving primary attention to the job of reinforcing the unity of the socialist states, of strengthening and defending socialism.

p The Soviet Union, together with the People’s Republic of Bulgaria and other fraternal countries, are firm in their resolve to nip in the bud any attempt on the part of imperialism to encroach on the gains of our peoples. The fraternal Parties are tirelessly working to strengthen the defences of the socialist countries, to improve the combat cooperation between our armies within the framework of the Warsaw Treaty. Let no one entertain any doubts that the community of socialist states possesses the wherewithal to safeguard its security, to ensure peaceful conditions for the further advance of our peoples along the road of socialism and communism.

p The Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, together with other socialist countries, are consistently working for peaceful coexistence of states with different social systems and for the settlement of all international issues in a peaceful way, for ending the arms race and above all the particularly dangerous and costly race in nuclear and missile weapons.

p It should be noted in this context that the peaceful foreign policy of socialist Bulgaria has become an important factor in the joint struggle waged by the socialist countries for creating a reliable collective security system in Europe, for converting the Balkans and the entire Mediterranean region into a zone free of nuclear-missile weapons. The efforts of People’s Bulgaria towards a settlement of the lofty problems of strengthening peace have earned her international recognition.

p Soviet-Bulgarian friendship is exemplified in the joint labour efforts of our peoples, in the constant improvement and extension of economic cooperation between our countries.

p Today, when many fraternal countries have started to build developed socialist society, the task of improving in every way the efficiency of national economic ties and the rational use of all possibilities for an international socialist division of labour acquire particular significance. The 228 greatcst possible use of the socio-political and economic advantages of the new system and the speeding up of victory in the economic competition with capitalism are becoming the central task. To achieve these aims is the objective of the economic reforms in the European socialist countries and also the jointly elaborated long-term programme of economic integration of the fraternal countries adopted by the 23rd session of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance.

p Much has been done here and much is still to be accomplished. And the more coordinated the economic policy of the fraternal countries, the more coordinated the work of their planning and economic agencies, the swifter and more successfully we will accomplish the outlined programme.

p In commemorating the 25th anniversary of the new Bulgaria, we Soviet Communists speak with special warmth about the strong ties of internationalism which for a long time now have been binding our Parties—the CPSU and the BCP. The Bulgarian Communist Party, together with the CPSU and other fraternal Parties, is consistently pursuing an internationalist policy, is working for the unity of the communist movement and all the revolutionary forces of our time. By its steadfast struggle for the purity of MarxismLeninism and against reactionary bourgeois ideology, against Right-wing opportunism and “Left” adventurism, by its tireless efforts to strengthen the community of socialist states, the Bulgarian Communist Party has deservedly won high prestige.

p We Communists cannot remain indifferent when attempts are made, under the flag of “modernising” Marxism- Leninism, to play down the importance of the general principles and laws of socialism’s development, to counterpose the national and international interests of the people. It goes without saying that resistance to such attempts in no way implies that the specific national conditions and distinctions are ignored. Marxists-Leninists are fully alive to the harm which such a dogmatic, stereotyped approach to problems of socialist construction represents. But they also see the other danger—the danger of a nationalist or any other revision of the fundamental tenets of revolutionary theory, which have been endorsed by the experience of world socialism. It is our deep conviction that only proletarian, socialist internationalism provides a basis for successfully solving the intricate task of properly combining national and international 229 interests and for successfully developing every fraternal country and the socialist system as a whole.

p The Communist Party of the Soviet Union pays high tribute to the determined efforts of the Bulgarian Communists towards unity of the international communist movement on a principled basis, against all attempts to weaken the international unity of the socialist community and undermine the vivifying foundation of the fraternal friendship among the peoples of the socialist countries.

p The International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties reaffirmed the conclusion that the world socialist system is the leading force and bulwark of the entire antiimperialist movement. Practical experience shows that the consolidation of the world socialist system is proceeding, and will proceed, both by way of a deepening of the all-round fraternal relations between the socialist countries and by the effective development of the national economy and improvement of the socio-political organisation of society in every country. In present-day conditions the force of the socialist example, of which Lenin wrote, depends on the successful solution of this dual task.

p The 25th anniversary of the new Bulgaria is being commemorated at a time when preparations for the birth centenary of Lenin are being made all over the world. And we can say with good reason that the successes of the socialist revolution in Bulgaria are a striking illustration of the greatness and creative force of Leninism, which found its loyal and principled followers in the Bulgarian Communists, who have rallied round themselves all the working people.

The Soviet Communists and all the Soviet people wish their Bulgarian friends and brothers further great successes in the building of socialism.