Dear comrades,

What a privilege to be able to address you here in Havana, the heart of the Cuban Revolution. For this reason, we would first like to thank the Communist Party of Cuba for organizing the 24th International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties. A meeting that not only stands in the spirit of international solidarity among the peoples of the world and their struggle for socialism-communism, but also celebrates the centenary of the birth of Commander Fidel Castro Ruz. Without whom we would not have been able to meet in this way today. We recognize the extremely difficult circumstances under which the Communist Party of Cuba managed to organize this meeting. Partly for this reason, we emphasize our solidarity with the Cuban people. Not only in word, but also in deed. Last week, a shipping container full of essential goods arrived in Cuba from the Netherlands. Goods collected from across the Netherlands to support Cuba in these moments of financial siege by the United States of America against the brave Cuban people and their revolution.

Comrades,

With the triumph of the July 26th Revolution, the Cuban working class began to walk the path of socialism-communism. The days of the exploitation of man by man were brought to a halt. The North American capitalists watched the developments in Cuba with a watchful eye. A new way of life was built with heads held high and through the hands of the Cuban proletariat and its allies.

However, the North American imperialists would not tolerate an alternative to the rotten capitalist system 145 km away from their own borders. The Cuban people were therefore punished with one of the most extensive lists of sanctions the world has ever known. By transforming the economy—which was in the hands of, and in service of a few—into one for all, the Cuban people created a society despite this criminal blockade where everyone had food, a roof over their head, learned to read and write, and where a doctor was never far away. Thus, with the blood, tears, and sweat of the Cuban people and with the help of friendly socialist countries, a successful socialist society was built despite the blockade.

A society that endured after the overthrow of socialism in the Soviet Union and the other European socialist countries. The Cuban Revolution has faced fiery trials, and now faces one of the greatest challenges it has known since its birth. The United States of America is deploying the murderous blockade to try to break socialism in Cuba from within. The capitalists are licking their lips at the thought of a capitalist Cuba. Because of this, as the NCPN, we will never break our solidarity with the forces defending Cuban socialism.

Comrades,

The world is burning. Inter-imperialist contradictions are increasing by the day. The Euro-Atlantic bloc and the emerging Eurasian bloc stand in direct opposition to each other. As a result, we see a hopeless war in Ukraine, for which both the Ukrainian and Russian people pay the price. An ever-escalating war in Iran and the genocidal politics of Israel against the Palestinian people. The imperialists of whatever country, bloc, or alliance do not care how long the river of blood must be to defend their interests. On the altar of profit, the lives of hundreds of thousands to millions of workers are sacrificed. The ruins in Kostyantynivka, Tehran, and Gaza are cynical reminders of how capital shrinks from nothing to maintain or expand its control over raw materials, transport routes, and markets.

In this context, it is of the utmost importance that communist and workers' parties from all over the world find each other better and take a prominent place in the struggle against war and imperialism, and for peace and socialism. The international communist movement still finds itself in a deep crisis, but—we are convinced—will overcome this crisis. The NCPN will continue to contribute to the building of the international communist movement, as we do with sister parties in the European Communist Action.

Comrades,

As Dutch communists, the struggle against the imperialist alliances that our country is part of, the EU and NATO, is of the highest importance. After all, must the workers of Europe cough up 800 billion euros to maintain the war economy? In the Netherlands alone, this is already leading to the further erosion of social rights, pensions, and healthcare in favour of further militarization. A protest movement from the trade unions, unseen in strength for years, is being organized to resist the government's attack on our collective provisions. Protests against the genocidal politics of Israel against the Palestinian people could also count on the largest number of demonstration participants in our country since the 1980s. As the NCPN, we continue to work in workplaces, neighbourhoods, and places of study to support these movements and lead them in the struggle against capitalist destruction.

Comrades,

As we all know, the struggle for socialism-communism is a necessary struggle. Our movement has a rich history of great triumphs and deep defeats. Despite the crisis that still prevails in the international communist movement, we see modest positive developments in the building of communist parties in our region of the world. And this is desperately needed: to stop the wars, the attacks on our standard of living, and exploitation, the vanguard role of our parties is of immeasurable value. Parties that fight opportunism, revisionism, and social-chauvinism, and consistently choose the side of the working class of every country in the fight for peace and socialism.

Marx taught us that capitalism would not last forever, Lenin taught us how we could overthrow it, and Fidel taught us that a society beyond capitalism is no fantasy, but that when working people unite, they are capable of great deeds.

Comrades,

Long live the heroic Cuban people!

Long live international solidarity!

Long live the International Communist Movement!