10th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION OF THE INVASION OF CHEKOSLOVAKIA
By  Emnetu Tesfay

 Friends,

Today we are assembled here to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Chekoslovakia by Russian led Warsow pact troops. Today it is supreme importance for all struggling peoples to have a correct understanding of the nature and role of present-day Soviet Union.

Present-day Soviet Union is guided by the laws of imperialism. They have exposed their real nature with their naked invasion of Chekoslovakia in 1968.  Their attempt to hide their design to dominate the world has reached an arrogant level by sending thousands of their soldiers and tanks to invade a sovereign state and call it "International Solidarity."

Soviet aggression is running at full speed to grab raw material resources, scramble for markets and strife for world hegemony. That is why they invaded Chekoslovakia in 1968 and are carrying out today naked plunder and exploitation of countries in the third world. The ambition of the new CZARS is to realize a colonial empire by tightly controlling the east European countries and new victims in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

At the 15th Soviet party congress, Brezenev said that the Soviet Union's activity on the international scene is exceptionally broad and that it has now to "reckon in one way or another with the state of affairs on virtually every spot on the globe." They devised this theory to justify their global policy of aggression. It is no longer a secret that their foreign policy's main goal is world domination. "world domination" is the substance of imperialist policy, of which imperialist war is the continuation.

Events in the horn of Africa has confirmed that the Soviet Union far from being a friend of the Eritrean, Ethiopian, and Somali peoples, have firmly opposed the popular struggles and gave all out support to the fascist dictator in Ethiopia. In a matter of days they switched allegiance and poured enormous amount of deadly weapons to the Derg with the ultimate goal of exterminating the popular struggles in Ogaden, Eritrea and suppress the progressive movement in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is today controlled in the same way the East European countries are controlled. Security and military affairs are run by the so called advisors from Russia and east Germany. In securing a neo-colonial stronghold, the soviet leaders desire to dictate, subvert, and dominate many states in the region.  Their aggressive intervention in the horn of Africa to physically annihilate revolutionary and national liberation fronts is a living testimony of their naked intent to dictate and dominate the world.

The Eritrean people, through their own experience, are learning that the Soviet Union today is an imperialist state engaged in aggression and expansion everywhere and desperately contending for world hegemony. However much the Soviet leaders trumpet their propaganda alleging their support to liberation and independence their deeds have proven to be the opposite. They are socialists in words and imperialist in deeds. Lenin had this to say "we judge a person not by what he says or thinks of himself, but by his actions."

The present Soviet leadership, which hides behind the mask of socialism exploiting the past prestige of the Soviet Union, have succeeded in decieving people specially in the third world. It deceives them by calling itself a " friend " and " natural ally " of the oppressed people. However, facts have repeatedly proven the opposite. The Soviet Union today is the arch enemy of the very people it pretends to support.

The Eritrean liberation struggle is now confronted and entrusted by historical circumstances to deal with Soviet imperialism and its running dogs. Definitly all oppressed people the world over are together with us in our struggle against the new aggressive power.

On this occasion, reflecting the deepest sentiment of the heroic Eritrean masses, I would like to express solidarity with the Chekoslovakian people in their struggle to achieve national independence.

Thank you

(A speech made at the Mission Hall commemmoration meeting arranged by the Workers Party AKP-ML in Stavanger)