The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples' Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP) Saturday began its 17th Summit in Havana with the call of Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel to consolidate a "Zone of Peace" in Latin America and the Caribbean.
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"I encourage you to jointly assess proposals to harness our capabilities and strengths. We must emphasize ALBA-TCP as a platform for political coordination in defense of independence, peace, and integration through solidarity and cooperation," Diaz-Canel said.
"We are very pleased that this summit is held in Cuba, especially when we commemorate the 15th anniversary of the founding of our Alliance by the Cuban Revolution leader Fidel Castro and Commander Hugo Chavez," he added.
The ALBA-TCP summit was also attended by Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega, San Vincent & the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, and other high-level representatives of its member countries.
On the occasion of the summit, President Maduro reaffirmed the importance of building a continental front to face the U.S. economic bullying against ALBA-TCP countries.
"All that attack increases the thinking and the ability to relaunch new roads, with the strengthening of the ALBA Bank and the revitalization of the Peoples' Trade Agreement."
ALBA-TCP summit is the occasion to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the alliance, a great idea by Fidel and Chavez for the achievement of Latin American integration. Fidel forever. Chavez lives. ALBA united.
Similar to what has happened in other recent international high-level meetings, the Latin American political situation undoubtedly took center stage at the ALBA summit debates.
This widespread concern is a consequence of the renewed U.S.-driven campaign of aggressions towards progressive politicians, social movements, parties and governments in the region.
Facts attesting to the above are the economic blockade against Venezuela and Cuba, destabilization attempts against leftist governments, criminalization of protest in Chile, the murder of social leaders in Colombia, and the coup d'etat against Bolivia's President Evo Morales, which was supported by the U.S.-controlled Organization of American States (OAS).
In order to tackle these non-overtly military aggressions, Diaz-Canel invited the participants to continue advancing in the application of the proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a 'Peace Zone', a commitment that the ALBA-TCP countries signed on January 28, 2014.