The 13th Session of the Central Council of EDON on "The Plan of action for the Year 2018-2019" was held on August 31, 2018. Following a discussion regarding EDON's political and organizational goals for this year, the session of EDON C.C. unanimously reached the following:
1. Our people and especially the new generation are still subject to the harsh consequences of the global capitalist crisis. Poverty, unemployment and exploitation are intensifying as a result of the unpopular policies pursued by the European Union and the Anastasiades – DISY party government.
2. The deadlocks to which imperialism is leading to, force even more urgently before us the need to step up our anti-imperialist struggle and solidarity.
3. In our region realignments underway that can be expressed directly through the military operations waged by NATO and its allies. This situation leads to further destabilization of the area and intensifies the drama of immigrants and refugees on a tragic level. At the same time the road to Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, nationalism and repression opens in various European countries.
4. We are witnessing the evolving bloodshed in Palestine, after the transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem and the intensification of the Israel’s aggression against the Palestinian people.
5. As always, particular attention will be given this year to the struggle against the anti-communist hysteria which is exacerbated.
6. Under these circumstances, the unity of the international movement on class and anti-imperialist basis is more necessary than ever. EDON must further develop its action within the international anti-imperialist movement through WFDY, whose structure and character must defend.
7. For another year we are entrusted with the duty to maintain and consolidate the need of the youth to fulfil our strategic goal for the liberation and reunification of our country and people on the basis of a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as described in the UN resolutions. We are fighting for a solution for one state with a single indivisible sover¬eignty, a single international personality and a single citizenship; a solution that will free Cyprus from the occupation, colonization and any foreign dependencies, far from NATO guarantees; a solution that will safeguard the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all the Cypriot people.
8. Despite all the progress made in the past years in the negotiation procedure, Anastasiades' political behaviour often characterized by inconsistencies and regressions which, in many cases, limit or even undermine the effectiveness of our community’s manipulations during the negotiating process. Unfortunately, the process collapsed with the known consequences. President Anastasiades must clearly support the resumption of negotiations without terms and conditions. He must be aligned with the direction set by the UN General Secretary Mr Guterres, for the continuation of negotiations from the point where they were interrupted, on the basis of his Conclusions Framework. If the Turkish side responds positively, then we will continue negotiations. If not, then the responsibility for any failure will be imposed on the occupying power, Turkey which will remain exposed to the international community.
9. We have to maintain open communication channels with the Turkish Cypriot com¬munity and the Turkish Cypriot progressive youth movement and contribute to the wider effort to ensure that the procedure of direct negotiations will have the best possible successful outcome probabilities
10. We will remain constant opponents of nationalism - chauvinism, obscurantism and fascism and extreme right-wing ideologies that are poisoning the relations between the two communities. We will struggle against the coordinated effort to falsify the historical truth.
11. We express our strong opposition regarding the activation of far-right fascist organizations in Cyprus and even more so regarding their entry into Parliament in the last elections. It is our duty to intensify youth education by highlighting anti-fascist values and standards and taking initiatives of mobilization and joint action against fascism, racism and xenophobia.
12. Nowadays, the socio-economic developments in our country are determined by the application of the Memorandum which was an agreement between the Troika and the Anastasiades government and by its continuation with a surveillance program. These policies being imposed serve only the privileged few and shifting the burdens on the majority of the people, generating poverty, insecurity, uncertainty and creating an ominous future for our youth and people.
13. With the re-election of Anastasiades they completed their first premeditated crime against our people. After taking Cooperative Central Bank under their administration in 2013 with various promises and commitments, they destroy it and finally give it as a prize to the Hellenic Bank.
14. As EDON we have no illusions that all of society’s problems will be solved with the end of the Memorandum. The imposition of anti-social measures and austerity poli¬cies will continue, with or without the Memorandum, given that they are part of the neoliberal philosophy of the government, the EU, IMF, World Bank and the European Central Bank.
15. We are entering a year of European Elections to be held in May 2019. The objective remains to strengthen AKEL and maintain it as a leading power.
16. No matter how difficult the struggle may be it will be daily and fierce within schools, universities, workplaces and youth recreation areas. We will struggle to project an alternative to the problems of the youth by stressing the need for organized struggle and cre¬ating bastions of resistance to capitalism’s social deadlocks, such as the plague of drugs and other addictions.
17. Our primary objective is to fight for the defence and protection of Free Public Education by upgrading the quality of education provided, while claiming human and democratic schools and universities. For an education that serves the real social needs and not the business interests of the chosen few.
18. Particularly in a year when the Provincial Conferences and the 19th Pancyprian Conference of EDON will be held, we must collectively achieve the best possible political and organizational goals that are set before us.
19. Cypriot youth can rely on EDON to continue its struggle for the security and expansion of the new generation’s rights in life, education, work and entertainment, and for the construction of a qualitatively superior society. This will be a society of democracy, freedom, social justice, equality, solidarity and socialism.
September 12, 2018
