Unity in Latin America Key to Regional Development

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The unity of the peoples and countries of Latin America and the Caribbean is a guarantee of true shared development that puts social considerations before economic ones, said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday.

He spoke during the second special summit of the Bolivarian Alliance of the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA) and Petrocaribe in Caracas.

“Today the doors are open to our development, but our development comes through uniting and being together, by articulating strategies for perfect unity and shared development,” Maduro said, emphasizing the fact that “nobody can make it successfully in the  21st century alone or separate – much less divided.”

Speaking at the military barracks known as the Cuartel de la Montaña, the site of the remains of Commander Hugo Chávez, the president led the meeting among heads of state and government representatives of the member countries of ALBA and Petrocaribe. The leaders approved a proposal to create a Complementary Economic Zone for both organizations with the Common Market of the South (Mercosur), a text that will be debated at a presidential summit in Caracas in January.

In accordance with the Bolivarian ideal of regional unity promoted by Chávez, President Maduro ratified Latin America’s important potential to create a strong alliance for the well-being of the peoples and to contribute to the construction of multi polar world.

He pointed out that the countries of ALBA, Mercosur and Petrocaribe include approximately 408,000,000 inhabitants, and together form “a block of great strength in terms of population and territory.” These countries make up over 13.2 million square kilometers.

The president also said that ALBA countries have a combined GDP of $416 billion, while Petrocaribe countries have a GDP of $324 billion, and, “together with Mercosur we have a combined GDP of $3.887 trillion.”

This, he said, is the fourth largest economy in the world, with the largest reserves of oil and enormous mineral and water resources.

The Venezuelan position was ratified by other leaders such as President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, who said: “let us be one dream, one single people,” exhorting the work of Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro in boosting regional unity.

“It is not a historical accident that we are meeting here. Humanity simply has shown with all clarity that the capitalist model and the tyranny imposed by capitalism is not way forward,” Ortega said.

For his part, Bolivian President Evo Morales said that to continue strengthening regional unity, it is necessary to “maintain the redistribution of wealth and control over our natural resources.”

Petrocaribe, created in 2005, brings together the countries of Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Surinam and Venezuela.

ALBA was created in 2004 and includes Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Dominica, St. Lucia, Ecuador, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Antigua and Barbuda.

Homage to Bolívar and Chávez

Before beginning the summit, heads of state and authorities from Latin America and the Caribbean paid tribute to the Liberator, Simón Bolivar, on the 183rd anniversary of his death in a traditional ceremony with a floral offering that was organized by the ministries and the Armed Forces and presided over by President Maduro.

Meanwhile, the authorities also remembered and recognized Commander Hugo Chávez at the Mountain Barracks in Caracas for his hard work in promoting unity among the peoples of the region.

Cuban Vice President Miguel Díaz-Canel expressed that Chávez “ushered in a new era in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Chávez was the most loyal upholder of Bolivarian thought, because to propose a new relation among countries is to crystallize the dreams of the Liberator Simón Bolivar,” he said.

Meanwhile, various countries saluted the victory by Venezuela Bolivarian Revolution in the municipal elections on December 8, in which Bolivarian candidates were elected mayor in 255 out of 335 of cities and towns throughout the country. Together, these candidates claimed 55% of votes nationwide.

The leaders also express their recognition of the leadership of President Nicolas Maduro as a guarantee of continuity of the Bolivarian legacy of Commander Chávez.

Maduro thanked them, saying: “There is no right wing force in this world, nor any empire, that can detain Venezuela in its battle to modestly contribute what we can to the new unity and independence of Latin America and the Caribbean.”

The Prime Minister of Belize, Dean Oliver Barrow, exalted Chávez as the “modern guardian of the legacy of Simón Bolívar,” and said that President Maduro must now assume that role.

Maduro responded: “the flame of Bolivar that we all guard must be consolidated, because it is the responsibility of our leaders, and one of the advantages of Latin America is that we have achieved unity in diversity and we have to preserve that.”

AVN