Within the framework of the 29th Pancyprian Youth and Students Festival of EDON, which took place from July 6 to July 8, EDON hosted an international seminar under the title "The role and involvement of NATO and the EU in the refugee issue." The organizations that participated in the international seminar, signed a resolution on the refugee highlighting the following:
• We reiterate our deep sorrow for the suffering of the refugees and express indignation at the handling of the refugee crisis created by lingering the imperialist policies in the world. The most obvious example is the destabilization of the entire Middle East caused by direct or indirect interventions of the US, NATO and the EU, as well as other countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Israel. These expansionist imperialist policies are forcing millions of people in different continents to leave their homeland in search of safety and protection of their lives and the lives of their children, choosing as the main destination the developed countries of Europe.
• Further, we condemn the imperialist aggression, interventions and wars lead by the US, NATO, EU and their "allies" such as Turkey. Those interventions and wars have caused millions of refugees.
• With the continuation of the wars and the inhumane policies pursued, the humanitarian and refugee crisis cannot be tackled effectively, and consequently peoples (such as the peoples of Greece and Italy) are called daily to face the consequences of this deadlock situation.
• Additionally, we state that the EU's attitude towards the refugees caused by the war against Syria continues to be repressive and in violation of the International Humanitarian Law. The relevant EU-Turkey agreement on the return of refugees illustrates this notorious policies. The EU, while bearing serious responsibilities for the cause of the refugee crisis, not only does not help to solve the problem, but on the contrary is exploiting the refugee crisis to intensify its repressive migration and asylum policies reinforcing its external borders, and even uses this to justify the presence of NATO in the Aegean.
• Even when refugees manage to reach EU land, they are not met by the authorities with the values of humanism and solidarity, but on the contrary in the majority of the occasions they face repression, fences, closed borders, racism and xenophobia.
• We welcome the solidarity extended to thousands of refugees by organizations and the people in most of the EU member-states.
• We denounce the fascist and ultra-right wing movements and groups that foster with racism and xenophobia, and exploit the refugee crisis to promote the dark and misanthropic ideologies that they profess.
• We call on the youth to unity and express popular solidarity with the peoples that are the victims of the imperialist’s interventions. We call on the youth to reinforce their struggle against the causes that force millions of peoples to leave their homes and countries.
• We call on the youth to struggle against the attempts of the bourgeoisies and their governments to exploit the presence of migrants and refugees as a means to curtail and eventually abolish labour rights.
• The youth must stand in solidarity next to the migrants and refugees; their acts of solidarity must be reflected in their demands to the governments of their respective countries to take the necessary measures, for the reception and decent hospitality of the refugees, for the removal of all the repressive mechanisms of the EU.
• We call on the youth to reinforce their struggle against the imperialist policies of the USA, NATO and EU, against the imperialist interventions and wars, against foreign interventions in the internal affairs of independent and sovereign states, against the efforts of the imperialist manipulation of the peoples.
• Finally we call on the youth to fight for social justice and lasting peace in the world, as is the only way to create the conditions which will stop the uprooting of more people, allow the return of refugees, stopping people from migrating in desperation, secure living conditions for all in their homelands where they will be the real masters of their countries and lives.
The following organizations are signing the present resolution:
1. Collectives of Communist Youth (CJC Spain)
2. Communist youth of Portugal (JCP)
3. Communist youth of Greece (ΚΝΕ)
4. Communist Youth, Turkey (KP, Turkey)
5. Front of Communist Youth (FGC, Italy)
6. National Union of Syrian Students (NUSS)
7. Palestinian Democratic Youth Union (PDYU)
8. Socialist Youth Union (SYU, Sri Lanka)
9. Union of Communist Youth (UJC Brazil)
10. Union of Communist Youth of Spain (UJCE)
11. United Democratic Youth Organization (EDON Cyprus)
12. United Progressive Egyptian Youth (UPEY)
13. World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY)
14. Youth Federation Nepal (YF Nepal)
15. Youth of the Jordanian Communist Party (JCP Youth)