Message of AKEL to Sinn Fein Congress
The General Secretary of the C.C. AKEL has sent today a letter to Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams with the occasion of the annual Congress of the Party and the celebrations regarding the 100th Anniversary of the Easter Rising. The main part of the letter follows below:
“On behalf of the Central Committee of AKEL and the thousands of militants and members of our Party permit me to address a warm militant greeting to the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis Annual Conference with the wish that it will represent a milestone in the further strengthening of your Party and its struggles.
Your Congress coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising of 1916, a glorious page in the long history of the Irish people’s struggles to attain freedom, national independence and sovereignty. This momentous historic event, which paved the way for an end to British colonial rule in your country, continues to show the way in the ongoing struggle for the reunification of Ireland, inspiring new generations to vindicate the efforts and sacrifices made over many years.
AKEL stands in solidarity with the manifold struggles waged by Sinn Féin and strongly supports the ongoing peace process for the reunification of Ireland, despite the attempts by various reactionary forces to impede and derail the whole process. Sinn Féin’s role continues to be pivotal and its leadership and bold initiatives decisive for overcoming obstacles and difficulties so that the whole process can move forward.
AKEL also follows closely your recent campaigns and struggles on many fronts against the attacks on working people’s gains and rights, against neoliberal austerity and privatizations, but also your efforts to build a mass movement and a radical alternative. We highly appreciate your struggles to combat bigotry and intolerance, for the cultivation of a culture of tolerance, cooperation, mutual respect and inclusion.
Ireland and Cyprus share similar historical experiences arising from British imperialist policy to cultivate and foment clashes and conflicts in the countries colonial Britain had under his rule through the policy of “divide and rule”. The current phase and form of the struggles waged by our peoples may be different, but both of us share the vision of a free, independent and united country where its people will be the true and only masters of their fate.
We particularly value the consistent and steadfast solidarity of Sinn Féin towards the struggle of Cyprus and AKEL to end the occupation and colonization of the northern part of Cyprus by Turkey; towards our struggle to reunite our island and people with the transformation of the Republic of Cyprus into a federal state, for the restoration of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Armenian, Maronite and Latins, for the demilitarization of our country with the ultimate aim of dismantling and withdrawal of British bases and installations from our island.
At the same time, AKEL and Sinn Féin are fighting together against neo-liberalism, the consequences of the imposition of the Memoranda, austerity policies, privatizations and the commercialization of social goods. This is a fight we are waging together also from the arena of struggle of the European Parliament against the political forces representing the elite, vested established interests and conservatism.
More specifically, AKEL appreciates the cooperation and joint action AKEL and Sinn Féin are developing, particularly within the Confederal Group of GUE/NGL in the European Parliament, but also on a bilateral level. On our part, we shall seek to further strengthen and broaden these relations to the benefit of our peoples and countries.
With these thoughts, we salute the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis Annual Conference and convey a message of solidarity to all Irish people fighting for freedom, social justice, peace and socialism.”
