Speech by a Delegation of the People’s Republic of Albania at a Dinner in Pyongyang

Speech at the Dinner Held by the Korean Side in Pyongyang

Dear comrade………

Dear comrade………

Dear comrades and friends,

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

The delegation of the Party and Government of the People’s Republic of Albania is very happy to have this chance to visit the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and to find itself amongst the dear Korean brothers and friends.

It is an exceptional pleasure for us to thank with all our hearts, in the name of the Albanian people, their party and Government, the Korean Workers’ Party, the Government of the DPR of Korea, and the brother Korean people for the very warm and brotherly reception they extended to our delegation as well as for the warm words of admiration and friendship that were said here by Comrade…….. for the Albanian people, the Party and Government of the PRA and for our deal leaders, Comrade [First Secretary of the Albanian Party of Labour (ALP)] Enver Hoxha.

The geographic distance that separates our two countries has not been an obstacle that has impeded our two peoples from becoming true friends and comrades, and faithful allies that fight arm-in-arm, and progress together always ahead, without stopping, toward more victories in the course of the construction of socialism.  

[Nine illegible lines]

We have the deepest faith that this brotherly friendship between our peoples is fully in the vital interests of our two countries, in the interests of the socialist camp, and of the international communist movement. It is an eternal friendship that shall flower through the centuries and there will never be a force in this world that could harm it.

The Korean people, who have inherited great revolutionary traditions, has written glorious pages on their history through their war of many years against the Japanese occupiers. During their patriotic war, the Korean people, under the leadership of the Korean Workers’ Party with Comrade Kim Il Sung at its helm, with the brotherly and internationalist assistance extended by the brave Chinese volunteers and the peoples of the socialist countries, defended with unparalleled heroism the revolutionary successes achieved in their glorious country; they decimated the rabid attack by the American imperialism and its satellites; and achieved a great and important victory against the aggressors. The historic victory of the heroic Korean people over the American imperialists, those monstrous executioners and sworn enemies of the peoples, became a shining example of inspiration for all the peoples of the world that are fighting for freedom, national independence, and social progress. They have given them courage and faith in the unavoidable victory over the enemy of humanity—imperialism and its servants.

After the war was over, the talented and hardworking Korean people, under the correct leadership of their party and government, and with the same enthusiasm and revolutionary ardor that they showed during the war for the preservation of their country, entered on the road for the construction of socialism on the northern part of the country. They have achieved great and important successes in the development of the economy and culture, and have turned the DPR of Korea into a powerful socialist state that has a developed industry and agriculture, that stands resolute and vigilant at the north eastern side of the socialist camp, and that marches with its head high forward toward newer and greater victories on the road for the construction of socialism.

The Government of the DPR of Korea has followed and follows a policy of friendship, peace and cooperation between the peoples; it supports the national liberation wars of the peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America against imperialism, and the old and new colonialism; and it gives an invaluable contribution to the strengthening of the anti-imperialist solidarity of the African and Asian nations. This causes it to enjoy an ever increasing prestige in the eyes of the freedom and peace loving peoples of the world.

The situation in South Korea presents a very different and bleak tableau where the people suffer under the two-fold yoke of oppression and hunger by the American imperialists and the fascist clique of Park Chung Hee.

Through the centuries Korea has been a single and undivided state. Korea belongs only to the Koreans. The American occupiers should leave South Korea and the Korean people should be left free to decide over their own affairs.

The Albanian people and their party and government support with all their hearts the liberation struggle of the brother Korean people against the criminal aggression of the American imperialism. We vigorously denounce the signing of the treaty between the Japanese and the South Koreans, whose blade is turned against the DPR of Korea and the People’s Republic of China. We denounce the forceful sending of the Korean soldiers as cannon-fodder by the puppet government of Seoul in the aggressive was of the United States of America against the brotherly and heroic Vietnamese people. We are convinced that the day will come when the American imperialists and their servants will disappear from South Korea and the sacred cause of the Korean people—the unification of the country—shall be crowned by complete success.  

Today, the international situation develops in the favor of the revolutionary forces that fight for socialism, national liberation and [illegible] in the world. As a result of the revolutionary zeal of the anti-imperialist struggle that has been taken up by the peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America the earth under the imperialists’ feet is burning and they are suffering more deadly and merciless blows each day. We are convinced that there is no force in the world that could save the American imperialism and its supporters from the unavoidable defeat. The wheel of history will always go forward. The glorious march of the revolutionary and liberation struggle of the peoples will not stop until the final victory.

A glorious example in this is given to us today by the brave Vietnamese people who, in their legendary war for the preservation of their country, are causing ever greater defeats to the bloodthirsty American aggressors. They are unmasking the devilish and fraudulent maneuvers of the American imperialists and of those that support them in the so-called “goodwill for peaceful talks.” They are scoring consecutive victories.

Our peoples, parties and governments, by doing their internationalist duty, stand resolutely on the side of the brotherly and heroic Vietnamese people; they support without reservation their glorious struggle for the expulsion of the American imperialists and their satellites from the satellite lands of Vietnam. We are convinced that the peace loving people of Vietnam will continue to decimate the enemies and will come up victorious over the American aggressors no matter how long the war lasts or how large the sacrifices they must make.

The Albanian people, under the correct leadership of the ALP with Comrade Enver Hoxha at its helm, has achieved grand victories in the construction of socialism and the socialist revolution, as well as in its struggle without compromise against imperialism and its servants, the modern revisionists.

Today, Albania, once the most backward country in Europe, has been transformed into a prosperous, socialist, agrarian and industrial country with a new and modern industry, a collectivized agriculture, which year after year is providing the people with more products, and with a revolutionary culture that serves the great masses of the people.  

Our people, under the duress of a geographic encirclement by the imperialists and revisionists, by keeping in one hand the pickaxe and the other the rifle, and by relying mainly on its own forces, bravely overcame all difficulties and forks on the road placed by its enemies—the imperialists and the revisionists—and accomplished generally successfully the tasks of the third five year plan. Today, inspired by the Call of the Party and the Government and the revolutionary measures that the party and government have taken lately and with great revolutionary and patriotic ardor, the Albanian people have taken up the work for the accomplishment and the exceeding of the tasks of the plan for 1966, the first year of the 4th five year plan, which will make Albania an even more flourishing and powerful socialist country.

In our struggle for the construction of socialism, the Albanian people have great and faithful friends in the great Chinese people and their glorious party, in the heroic Korean people and their party, and in all the progressive and [illegible] of the world. [Four illegible lines]

Allow me, dear comrades and friends, to make a toast to:

• The eternal friendship between the Albanian people and the Korean people.
• The heroic Korean people.
• The LPPK and the Government of the DPR of Korea with Comrade Kim Il Sung at its helm.
• The DPR of Korea and its Chairman, Comrade Choe Yong-geon [Choe Yong Gon].
• The health of the ambassadors, the chargé d’affaires and their spouses.
• The health of the comrades and friends present in this reception
• The peace and friendship between the peoples.