First of all, I should like to thank you all, in particular the Director of your Institute, Dr. Voskuil, and the Head of its Public International Law Department, Dr. Ko Swan Sik, for your kind invitation to attend this meeting. In the fact that you have given me this opportunity to talk about some of the fundamental questions relating to the socialist views on international law I see not only a proof of your interest in the subject, but also a task and a duty for me to make a modest contribution, by exchanging our views, towards a better mutual understanding of our attitudes to fundamental political and legal problems that are the subject of international discussion to-day.