_ nomic

' has followed in any degree the devel-

opments in that country in recent
months that this omission is not acci-

. dental but reflects a definite political

concept. : ;

Evidently, some leaders of the Com-
munist Party of Czechoslovakia believ-
ed that by stirring up nationalist pas-
sions they would be able to win
broader support for their stand among
wide sections of the populaton includ-
ing Right-wing elements and oppo-
nents of socialism. That, however, is
a very dangerous policy, It is dan-
gerous above all because it has been
carrying them further and further away
from the natural allies and true friends
of the Communist Party and people of
Czechoslovakia.

Vv

The enemies of Soviet-Czechoslovak
friendship have made wide use of yet
one more theme which ought to be
mentioned. In numerous articles in
the press, on radio and TV broadcasts
in Czechoslovakia. it has been per-
sistently suggested that all of Czecho-
slovakia’s “troubles” supposedly stem
from the fact that it has followed till
recently the “Soviet model of social-
ism” foisted by some outsider.

Scarcely is there any need to say
that this allegation is sheer fabrica-
tion.

It is common knowledge that * the
USSR and Czechoslovakia have dif-
ferent. state structures, largely differ-
ent methods of solving the nationalities
question and dissimilar systems of
economic management. Approached
differently, too, are many other aspects
of the political, economic and cultural
life of our.two peoples.

Czechoslovakia’s development as a
socialist state, the development of its
Statehood, economy and culture and
the development of its Communist
Party have followed and continue to
follow forms reflecting the country’s
peculiarities and traditions, its spe-
cific features in all respects. As for
talk of “foisting upon” the Czechs and
the Slovaks of some kind of “Soviet
model of socialism,” it is nothing but
a malicious and provocative lie which
is being circulated by hostile elements
to: undermine the fraternal friendship
binding our two countries, parties and
peoples. .

The forces attempting to hamstring

the positions of the Communist Party’

of Czechoslovakia strive in every pos-
sible way.to denigrate the economic
cooperation between the USSR and
Czechoslovakia. Théy have done all
they can to make it appear as if the
economic contacts developing between
our two countries are disadvantageous
and even burdensome for Czechoslo-
vakia. What such allegations are de-
signed to achieve is absolutely Clear.

, They all served the one and only: aim

of paving the way for the reorientation
toward the West of the economic de-
velopment of the Czechoslovak So-
cialist Republic. To this end, however,
they had to deceive the Czechoslovak
public by making it believe that in
promoting cooperation with the USSR
and the other socialist countries the
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic would
fail to solve its own problems, that
such cooperation does not allegedly
accord with its national interests,

In reality the experience of socialist
construction shows that the economic

relations between the socialist coun- .

tries are relations of a new type and
that their promotion contributes to the
economic and social progress of each
country individually and the congoli-
dation of the world socialist system
as a whole. :
On the basis of the principles of
proletarian internationalism the gso-
cialist countries turned—and this hap-
pened for the first time in the history
of nations—to comprehensivé COOpera-
tion and mutual assistance, each tak-
ing part in this process as aN abso-
lutely sovereign state with full equal-

ity. Today no longer will anybody be -

able to put the halter of imperialist
exploitation upon their necks. This
represents a tremendous gain for our

‘ socialist community and is at the same

time the foundation which enables the
socialist. states to achieve rapid eco-.
diiw gAliult says

In the 17 years between 1950 and
1967 the industrial output of the
CMEA countries as a whole has risen
5.4 times and now accounts for nearly

a third of the world total. In the last .

seven years alone the industrial out-
put in those countries has risen 76
percent compared with an_ increase
of mot more.than 45 percent in the
leading capitalist countries.

The extensive promotion of econo-
mic cooperation and the broadening of
international division of labor within
the framework of the world socialist

* system derive not only from the eco-

nomic requirements of individual so-
cialist countries but also from the
nature of the international situation
and the conditions attending the
struggle between the two world sys-
tems. :

Meanwhile a number of Czechoslo-
vak statesmen, including Vice-Premier
O. Sik among others, have of late criti-
cized Czechoslovakia’s economic devel-
opment and its cooperation with other
socialist countries. While criticism is,
of course, a necessary thing it must at
the same time meet the two criteria of
being scientific and objective, of ac-
cording with the interests of the work-
ing masses and of socialism. But O.
Sik’s criticism represents Czechoslo-
vakia’s economy as backward and
crisis-stricken. The entire socialist
road of Czechoslovakia’s economic de-:
velopment is expunged and denigrated.

At the same time, the Czechoslovak
press tried to cajole the working class

. and the entire population of Czecho-

slovakia-into believing that the Czecho-
slovak Communist Party’s supposedly
wrong economic policy offered no op-
portunities for increasing popular wel-
fare and that life was better in the
capitalist countries.

It is, however, generally known that
in the output of electricity, steel, ce-
ment, fabrics and footwear, meat and
meat products Czechoslovakia is ahead
of the leading capitalist countries of
Europe including Britain and West
Germany. Czechoslovakia has a well
developed engineering industry and in
the output of machines per capita is
somewhere at the top of the world
table. -

The exaggerated shortcomings in
Czechoslovakia’s economic develop-
ment were indirectly and at times di-
rectly associated in the press with
Czechoslovakia’s economic relations
with the USSR. Trade between Czecho-
slovakia and the USSR was presented
in an unfavorable light.

Let us take some statistics relating
to Soviet-Czechoslovak foreign trade
over the 12 years between 1956 and
1968. In this period the USSR supplied
Czechoslovakia with 17 million tons of
grain, nearly 760,000 tons of cotton,
about 70,000 tons of wool, 51 million
tons of oil, 80 million tons of ores,
some two million tons of pig iron,
about 2,500,000 tons of rolled metal,
285,000 tons of copper, upwards of
200,000 tons each of aluminum and
lead, nearly 3,500,000 tons of apatite
concentrates, 170,000 tons of zinc,
more than 200,000 tons of asbestos,

- nearly five million cubic metres of tim-

ber and almost 1,200 million roubles
worth of machinery and other equip-
ment. Czechoslovakia would have had
to pay around 3,500 million dollars in
freely convertible currency for the
commodities.

At the same time Czechoslovakia
supplies the USSR with large quanti-
ties of machinery and such consumer
goods as footwear, fabrics, garments,
haberdashery, etc. ;

If the USSR conducted its trade with
Czechoslovakia on a purely commer-
cial footing, which was what O. Sik
was in effect saying, this would ob-
viously. be to the disadvantage of
Czecchoslovak economy and create
many difficulties for it.

In Czechoslovakia criticism was

voiced of the entire international ex- °

perience of socialist construction that
has been accumulated in the 50 years
of Soviet practice and the many years
of practice of the other socialist states.
An attempt was made to contrast to
this experience a new “model of social-
ism” which existed only in argument—
and some people who have been cry-
ing a_lot akout sovereignty and non-,
interference, would like. to, put, up, th

model as one for universal imitation.

Our Party cannot overlook the cam-'
paign conducted in the Czechoslovak
press of discrediting the socialist econ-
omy of the Soviet Union.

The development of a socialist econ-
omy is a paramount task that is con-
stantly in the focus of attention of
both our Party and the other fraternal
parties. Considering its close contacts
with the economies of the other social-
ist countries, the USSR takes the ne-
cessary measures to enable its econo-
mic development simultaneously to
meet the economic requirements of its
friends and allies, and thus help them
become less dependent on capitalist
countries in their economic develop-
ment, and to protect them from the
sundry dangers emanating from im-
perialism.

History has so ordained that the
USSR bears the tremendous responsi-
bility of maintaining the security of
the socialist camp. It is thus only na-
tural that in our economic development
we are always obliged to invest very
heavily in the defense industry which
is needed not only by the USSR but. by
all the socialist countries and which

» at present makes it possible to resist

imperialist aggression against Vietnam
and the Arab states.

We know that the other fraternal
countries are also contributing to the

defense of the socialist aims of our:

peoples. All of us regard this as our
internationalist duty.
Our Party constantly improves the

style, forms and methods of party and .

state administration.

The same work is also done in the
other socialist. countries. It is done
calmly, proceeding from the founda-
tions of the socialist system.

Unfortunately the discussion of the
problems of economic reform in
Czechoslovakia was placed on another

basis. It focused, on the one hand, on

wholesale criticism of all preceding
socialist economic development, and on
the other hand, on the proposal to re-
place the principles of planning by
spontaneous market relations coupled
with extensive opportunities for private
enterprise. Revisionist and counter-
revolutionary elements took advantage
of the economic discussion in the
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, ob-
viously intent upon reverting the na-
tional economy to the capitalist road.

VI

Some leaders of the Czechoslovak
Socialist Republic started to revise a
number of key foreign policy _prin-
ciples and commitments upon which
the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
had agreement with the USSR.

Under the  Soviet-Czechoslovak
Agreement our two countries have
pledged to pool efforts and closely co-
Operate for guaranteeing their own
security and the security of thé other
States of the socialist community.
These pledges, together with the com-
mitments assumed by the.other social-
ist states under bilateral agreements
and the Warsaw Treaty, present a firm
and reliable foundation for ensuring
the security of each of its signatories.

The Treaty signatory states as-
Sumed in common the solemn pledge
to stand steadfast in the defense of
the gains of socialism, their own bor-
ders and peace in Europe.

The USSR has always held that
these are sacred pledges and must be
Observed by all the signatories to the
agreements, as only thus can the sec-
urity of each of them be guaranteed.
The USSR had believed until recently
that Czechoslovakia took the same ap-
proach to its commitments under the
appropriate agreements.

Lately, however, there have emerged
definite trends in Cechoslovak foreign
policy, especially concerning European
affairs, which arouse great apprehen-
sions. These trends ‘are manifest not
only in the pronouncements of the:
Czechoslovak press and in radio and
TV broadcasts but also in the speeches
of certain officials. More specifically,
they were distinctly reflected in the
statements made by the Foreign Minis-
ter J. Hajek. We mean the increased

tack and weaken the Warsaw Trea
In Prague V. Prchlik, a responsik
spokesman for the Central Commit =
of the Communist Party of Czechoslo
vakia, assailed the Warsaw Treaty in
a public statement to newsmen and
spoke of the need for revising its strue-
ture. He went even further and uttered
slander against the activity of the Po-
litical Consultative Committee of the
Warsaw Treaty member-states, which,
as’ is commonly known, is conducted
at party and government leadership
level. It might be expected that such
actions would be condemned by the
leadership of the Central Committee
of the Communist Party of Czechoslo-
vakia; this, however, did not take
place.

This is a common question for us,
the signatories of the Warsaw Treaty
Organization. To allow this organiza-
tion to be breached is out of the ques.
tion. It would be against the vital in-
terests of all member-states of the
Warsaw Treaty Organization including
those of the USSR.

The commitments which the social-
ist states have undertaken in accord-
ance with the agreements between
them require of their Signatories the
active safeguarding of their frontiers:
How do matters stand in this respect

with regard to Czechoslovakia’s' west-

ern borders? These borders, on the
Czechoslovak side, are in effect open.

A situation developed whereby im-
perialist secret services poured sabo-
teurs and spies into Czechoslovakia.
Imperialist agents were able to smug-
gle arms into Czechoslovakia. |

Grave anxiety was aroused by the
Statements made in the course of the
latest developments, by certain fune-
tionaries in Czechoslovakia with re-
gard to its relations with West Ger-
many.

The Czechoslovak leaders knew that
West Germany did not recognize and
did not intend to recognize the boun-
daries established in Europe, including
the border between the GDR and the
FRG, that it continued to-demand re-
cognition of its right to speak “for all
Germans,” that it still laid claim to
West Berlin and engineered sundry
provocations there, that the FRG goy-
ernment had still not declared full re-
nunciation of access to nuclear weapon
and that it had not declared that the
Munich Pact was invalid from the very
outset.

Nevertheless, in Czechoslovakia ut-
terances were heard aimed at achiev-
ing a rapprochment with West Ger.
many and strengthening links with it.
Matters went so far that it was offi-
cially stated in the name of the Cze_
choslovak government that Czechoslo-
vakia’s European policy should be
based largely on the fact that Czecho.
slovakia is situated between the USSR
and West Germany.

Such an approach, however, is tota]-
ly devoid of class content, runs coun-
ter to all historical experience and
does not accord with the interests Of
security of the socialist countries or of
Czechoslovakia itself.

Certain functionaries in Czechoslo-
vakia called for a reorientation of its
foreign policy towards the West and
wanted it to be “more independent” °
the policy of the USSR and the othey
socialist countries. It is €asy to dig.
vern that they sought to disguise behing
the word “independence” their desi
to divorce Czechoslovak foreign police
from the common policy of the coun
tries of the socialist camp. .

Regrettably, such utterances in Cze
choslovakia were not duly rebuffed.

It'is the strengthening, not the weak
ening, of cooperation among the War.
saw Treaty signatories in matters =
European security and world Politic
generally that accords with our COm
mon interests including the interest.
of fraternal Czechoslovakia. This
makes it incumbent upon the Treat.
signatories to resolutely rebuff all poet
vocative attempts to scrap the Warsay,
Treaty. ae:

Worthy of note is the impermissib}
attitude to Czechoslovak commitment
stemming from the Warsaw Treaty, ;
connection with the recent Warsay”
Treaty staff exercises conducted —

campaign was, let loose agaings wy
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