Friendship Society in Russia. The Outset

Comrade Chairman, dear Comrades and Friends:

On behalf of the delegation from the Russian Society for Friendship and Solidarity with the Peoples of Foreign Countries, let me express my gratitude to the Executive Committee of the International Council for Friendship and Solidarity with Soviet People for the warm reception and support you have given to all the delegates at this Congress. For us it is a great honour to address this gathering, which has attracted many prominent representatives of the world community, the fighters for peace, democracy and socialism and all the true friends of the citizens of the former Soviet Union.

This year the people of the world have marked the 60^th Anniversary of the Victory over Fascism, attained by the anti-Hitler coalition countries over Nazi Germany and militarist Japan. Progressive humanity recognizes that this victory would have been impossible without the decisive contribution of the Soviet Union and of its glorious Red Army, headed by J.V. Stalin. The Central Coordinating Council of our Friendship Society and all of its members extend their greetings to all of you on this Anniversary, wish all of you good health and success in our common struggles.

There is not much point in elaborating on the international situation for this audience. Overall we agree with the position outlined in "Ours Task ahead for the Second World Congress for Friendship and Solidarity with the Soviet People" that was sent to all of us by Chairman, Michael Lucas.

It may be worth recalling that the foundation of the Russian Friendship Society, was initiated by the First World Congress in 2001. It was there that the representatives of the seventeen countries present decided that it was necessary to set up a Soviet partner for the International Council on the territory of former USSR.

To follow that recommendation, representatives from a number of Soviet movements and political parties had come together and established the Society on March 11, 2003. The affiliated organizations, movements, parties to the Friendship Society are: The "Sojuz, the All Russia socio-political movement", "Communists", the Working People’s Russia or the Soviet Union," "All Soviet movement Lenin and the Fatherland", "Movement in Defence of Childhood," "Mysl" newspaper, "For USSR" newspaper, "The Russian Communist Workers Party -Russian Party of Communists" (RCWP-RPC), the "RCP-CPSU", the "CPSU." WE then agreed on the name, The Russian Society for Friendship and Solidarity with the Peoples of Foreign Countries, adopted its Charter and elected the leadership, comprised of the Central Coordinating Council and the Central Control Commission.

Georgii Tikhonov, the leader of the "Soyuz" movement, was initially elected as the Chairman. The Editor of "Mysl" newspaper Anatoli Kruichkov was actively participating in the work of the Central Coordinating Council until his death in May of this year.

According to our Charter, the aims and objectives of the Society are "to establish friendship links between the people of Russia and abroad by means of mutual visits and information exchange, while learning traditions, culture from other countries." This versatile activity is subordinated to the task of re-establishing the USSR and defending the class interests

In this connection I would like to express our gratitude to comrades of the Executive Committee of the International Council. In the present conditions of all sorts of distortions concerning communist ideas imposed by the bourgeois propaganda, by the decline of the labour movements as a result of revisionism and opportunistic influence, you comrades are holding high the banner of Marxism-Leninism, of anti-imperialist struggle and of the cause of re-establishing the Soviet Union.

For many years the USSR was the stronghold for the workers of the world. It provided genuine assistance, without imposing any obligations to the international working class and to the national liberation movements. It was the vanguard that paved the way for all humanity to the heights of peace and progress.

The great American writer Theodore Dreiser in his telegram to Soviet Writers’ Union in July of 1941 said:

These words are still relevant today. They inspire every socially conscious person in USSR for concrete and tireless work to bring back what has been lost. It is in this difficult and honourable work that we can and should rely on the solidarity and support by all conscious humanity, above all, the working class.

We must not forget that the experience of struggle led by the progressive movements, by the international labour movement is our common heritage. We have to study it and to bring it about in practice, in the activity of our Society and the vector, which we should adhere too in order to see the desired kind of organization, should be the work to systematically inform the public on international events, on the routine work and activities carried out by the progressive movements and parties. To this end, we publish articles, reviews and some translated materials in affiliated press, also offering it for publication elsewhere. Our articles have been printed in ZA SSSR, Mysl, Trudovaya Rossia, Golos Komunista, Ekonomicheskaya Gazeta, ZA SSSR newspaper, with its network of correspondents throughout the former Soviet Union – are our main printed organs.

Our Society members have started translating books and pamphlets by foreign authors into the Russian language. The Lies Concerning the History of the Soviet Union, by Mario Sousa (KPML 1995, with more than 10,000 copies printed, focused a lot of public attention. In 2004 we translated and printed the booklet by Northstar Compass, The Lie of the Lenin Testament (1977)

One of the inherent parts of our work are meetings with progressive activists and delegates from abroad in their visits to Russia. We met with our colleagues from France, Belgium, Great Britain, Holland, Australia, Cuba, Greece, Turkey, Ukraine and Belarus. Due to our limited resources, we are niot always able to send our members abroad. In particular, we could not send a representative to the 16^th World Festival of Youth and Students, hosted by Venezuela last August 7-14, 2005.

The regular work of comrade Georgii Tikhonov to consolidate and develop co-ordination and co-operation between the republics of former USSR is a complement to the work of our Society.

We have organized a number of actions in support of Cuba against the US embargo, including two evenings of Cuban-Russian friendship. We were quite pleased to learn that the Atlanta Appeal Court concluded the case of Miami Five, has to be reconsidered.

A substantial contribution to building friendship links is made by the SOYUZ Studio directed by the Coordinating Council member, Boris Gunko. Bi-weekly concerts held by the studio arte aimed to popularize the works of world art, literature and music.

There are weaknesses in our activities, too. Perhaps the most essential drawback is that our activity so far has been carried out by the activists of Moscow only. As far as other regions are concerned, the other braches are slow in setting themselves up.

Another important aspect of out work is to popularize Northstar Compass journal. We are currently investigating the possibilities of starting a Russian Edition of NSC or at least, a digest.

We are still organizing, but our Conference which took place last May has shown that our members are willing to strengthen Society’s ties with the public and has approved the work of the Central Coordinating Committee.

We hope that this Second World Congress will take our work to new heights. We are confident that the participation of our delegation at this Congress will help in building relations with our friends from abroad and, in particular, will contribute to the cause of strengthening friendship links between the people of Russia and Canada.