Dear Comrades,
I am delighted that we have the opportunity to be present at your Congress and speak with you here. First and foremost, I sincerely wish your Congress success. We stand with you, recognizing that Europe and the world are at a historic moment, and the Left needs to respond appropriately and responsibly to the various current crises and challenges. Addressing war and preventing the continuation of atrocities in Gaza, fighting injustice, preserving the environment amidst climate change, and offering an alternative to the onslaught of the right and far-right requires serious international cooperation. We live in a moment where maintaining peace and establishing justice necessitate cooperation and unity against reactionary forces worldwide. We declare our solidarity with your struggle to achieve these goals.
Dear Comrades, there is no doubt that we are facing a fragile situation, but the effort to overcome this situation should not be expected from the Left alone. Humanity and all progressive forces worldwide are responsible for overcoming the current situation and creating a more just world. The element of solidarity in all global transformations can have valuable effects in steering progressive changes.
In our country, people's struggles for a decent and just life and their protests against various discriminatory behaviours have manifested in various demands, protests, and political movements in recent years, the latest of which is the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement. The scope of these struggles has extended beyond Iran's borders and rightfully garnered global solidarity. The Iranian regime, faced with a crisis of inefficiency in solving social, economic, and political problems, and isolated internationally due to hostile and anti-national interest foreign policies, has resorted to repression, arrests, and executions of protesters. This also includes the abduction and killing of young women or blinding them through targeted shootings during protests. Without the solidarity of the world's progressive forces, and specifically yours, with the people of Iran, the extent of the Islamic regime's crimes against its citizens would have been greater. Your solidarity with the Mahsa movement and political prisoners in Iran, including Narges Mohammadi, Nasrin Sotoudeh, and most recently, Toomaj Salehi, is commendable and a source of hope and encouragement for Iranian women and youth and will not be forgotten.
Our party strives to replace the current regime in Iran with a secular democratic republic. A government that ensures sustainable development in society, provides freedom and justice for its citizens and promotes a foreign policy based on non-tension and defence of peace in the region and the world.
Today, defending peace and countering the aggression of the right and far-right are among the most important tasks of progressive and left forces globally. This is a common concern for both you and us. The effort to establish peace wherever there is war, the attempt to stop massacres or genocides or whatever we call it, in Gaza, and curbing the policy of increasing occupation of Palestinian lands by Israel, which primarily enjoys full support from the United States and then European countries.
Dear Comrades, for years we have been following the struggle of the United Left Front in the political and social life of Spain. In recent years, your active and decisive participation in the United We Can coalition (Unidos Podemos) managed to end the hegemony of the two-party system in Spain. It introduced political diversity as a social reality into the decision-making power. This policy continued in the Sumar coalition, and we have witnessed that these coalitions have been the source of significant transformations and services in Spain. We admire your persistent efforts to advance anti-discrimination policies in the relationships among the nations residing in Spain and dialogue for finding solutions, promoting responsible policies to protect the environment, defending the rights of refugees, although with less success, and finally, your sensitivity towards the government and people of Palestine. We commend all these efforts and struggles.
In conclusion, I once again wish your Congress success and accomplishment of its goals. I warmly shake your hand and stand shoulder to shoulder with you for a peaceful and just world for all citizens!
May 18, 2024
International Relations of the Left Party of Iran
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