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International Solidarity and Cooperation Statement of the Communist Parties of South AmericaDue to the spread of COVID-19, the communist parties of South America on March 30 issued a Joint Declaration, highlighting the decisive role of health workers and those of other branches in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. DeclarationThe communist parties in South America draw attention, with class pride, to the decisive role of workers from different branches, and fundamentally from the health sector, in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic that is ravaging the world. We welcome the teleconference of the Ministers of Health and Foreign Relations convened by the pro tempore Mexican presidency of CELAC, given that this is the only area where all the countries of Our America can meet with the invaluable presence of Cuba, the world vanguard in medical and biochemical innovation and humanistic ethics, also involving the Pan American Health Organization and a high-level delegation from the People's Republic of China. The COVID-19 pandemic tragically demonstrates the profound shortcomings of public health systems in most countries in the region, which were known before the coronavirus appeared. These deficiencies are the result of anti-popular policies applied by governments in the service of big capital to commercialize and privatize health, supporting the profitability of monopoly groups. These policies, in addition, have undermined the scientific and technological capacities available to satisfy the needs of prevention and of massive attention to the population. Current experience highlights the antisocial and parasitic nature of neo-liberalism and highlights the superiority of state intervention in the vital areas of any nation and of planning based on popular needs, as well as demonstrating that they cannot be governed by the petty logic of capitalism. That implies in health matters, providing primary care and prevention, decent hospitals, well-equipped laboratories, doctors and nurses, medicines, respirators, tests and examinations and everything that is needed to satisfy the constant and urgent needs of the peoples. We consider it essential to guarantee the rights of workers, unemployed and underemployed, of the poorest social strata, as a humane and supportive gesture that, at the same time, ensures the basic maintenance of economic activity. Payment of wages must be guaranteed, as must a minimum income for all informal workers. It is not they who must pay for the crisis. To this end, fiscal austerity policies must be reversed, and the State must assume extraordinary responsibilities to maintain economic activity, including guaranteeing the contribution of financial banking systems to this end. It is necessary, once and for all, to end the blockade and other unilateral coercive measures against Cuba and Venezuela, and the actions against Nicaragua, whose unsupportive, discriminatory and unjust character stands out even more in the midst of this critical situation. In this regard, we value the words of the President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, who, in addition to adopting a set of appropriate measures in the emergency, has spoken with dignity in this regard. It is necessary and urgent to definitively forgive the external debts of our countries to the IMF and the usurious international banks. We send our sincere thanks to the doctors and nurses, to the staff of the hospitals and of the health units who are struggling in the face of great difficulties. We express our solidarity to all those affected by the CoVID-19 pandemic and wish them a speedy recovery from the disease. We salute the countries that are carrying out solidarity actions with the most affected countries, such as sending protective materials, respirators, and health professionals, such as China, Cuba and Russia, which contrasts with the actions of the United States and NATO that persist in deploying troops, as they recently did in several countries in Europe, supporting huge military budgets that deny health and social welfare. We fight for profound transformations that will come from the hand of workers and peoples united. We position ourselves with responsibility and with a sense of Humanity. We are present in the fight to take immediate measures to protect health and safeguard the rights of all peoples in all corners of the planet! Communist Party of Argentina (Cubadebate, March 30, 2020. Translated from original Spanish by TML.)
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