The foreign ministers of the member states of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), gathered in the Ecuadorean capital of Quito Sunday to prepare for the upcoming summit of the heads of state.

President Rafael Correa said Saturday that Ecuador was ready to “open its arms” to Latin America and the Caribbean.

IN DEPTH: CELAC: Building Regional Unity; Tackling Social Exclusion

Twenty-two heads of statehaveconfirmedtheywillparticipate in the IV CELACSummit set to beginWednesday in Quito.

Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño said that the presidents of Uruguay, Cuba, and El Salvador sent their regrets due to the fact that the capital's altitude of 2,800 meters above sea level could be harmful to their health.

The preparatory meetings count on the presence of the foreign ministers and national coordinators. At the IV Summit, the presidency of the regional bloc will pass from Ecuador to the Dominican Republic.

The heads of state are expected to continue deliberations about the regional bloc's priorities for 2016, including the 2020 Agenda document, first discussed in Costa Rica in 2015.

The 2020 Agenda includes five points: the reduction of extreme poverty and inequality; the development of science, technology and innovation; a strategy against climate change; the establishment of infrastructure and connectivity and financing for development.

Over the past year, under the leadership of Ecuador, CELAC has focused on improving relations between Latin America and the key blocs.

“We have advanced with respect to inter-regional relations,” Patiño told teleSUR, emphasizing the recent meetings between CELAC and China, as well as the European Union.

Ecuadoren President Correa recently said that CELAC should replace the Organization of American States (OAS) in order to empower the regional alliance and its operations in the international arena.

CELAC was created Feb. 23, 2010, under the leadership of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during the Unity Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Unlike the OAS, the regional bloc explicitly excludes the United States and Canada.