By Satyaki Chakraborty
The summit of the Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held on January 24 has signalled the beginning of a new era of regional integration of the resource rich region for giving a big push to the economies of the entire Latin American sub-continent. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to advance the goal of integration and unity at the 7th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.
What was of special significance of this summit was the domination of the left wing leaders led by the Brazilian president Lula and the Argentina president Alberto Fernandes in the discussions and their emphasis on fighting the far right forces in the region for giving a pro-people direction to the economies. The recent attempts by the rightist forces in a number of countries in Latin America against the ruling Left were mentioned at the summit deliberations.
During the summit, the leaders discussed common issues and how to overcome them through joint regional strategies such as consolidation of peace and democracy in the region, reduction of hunger and poverty, improvement of public health and education systems, advancement of sustainable development in the face of climate change, strengthening of human rights, among others.
Argentine President Alberto Fernández, who held the pro tempore presidency of the regional bloc and inaugurated the summit, called for strengthening “institutionality and democracy in the face of a recalcitrant and fascist right.” His views were echoed by Brazilian President as also some other presidents including the president of Bolivia.
Fernández also called for the unity of CELAC to raise its voice against the criminal and inhumane US blockades on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. “The blockades are a very perverse method of sanctioning, not the governments, but the peoples; we cannot continue allowing it. Cuba has been under a blockade for six decades and Nivaragua and Venezuela suffer the same,” he said. He made special appeal to the heads of the governments to deepen the economic relations among the CELAC members so that the nations of the region can make use of the synergies of their strengths in different sectors of the economies.
Bolivian President Luis Arce called for strengthening of the multilateral system to save the earth. “Today we are facing a multiple and systematic capitalist crisis that increasingly puts the lives of humanity and our Mother Earth at risk, a food, water, energy, climate, health, economic, commercial and social crisis,” Arce said in his address. “CELAC must return to the principles of multilateralism, but not to preserve the unfair international order that overwhelms States and peoples, but rather to move towards a better world,” he added.
Arce also called for CELAC to be a tool for the construction of an emancipatory integration and should serve as a way to open a relationship with the BRICS nations. “CELAC should be the space and the tool for the construction of a new type of emancipatory, multidimensional and non-subordinate integration between our states and peoples. CELAC should begin to open a relationship with the countries that make up the BRICS so that Latin America and the Caribbean becomes an active part of the construction of a multipolar world,” he said.
Arce also expressed his concern over the political and social situation in the neighboring country Peru. He said that Bolivia is respectful, like all CELAC States, of “International Law and non-interference in the internal affairs of states,” but added that “we cannot simply ignore a situation such as the serious political and social crisis that our brotherly people are experiencing.” Arce urged that the institutions of the Peruvian State work together with its people to take the path of understanding to recover social and political peace in the country.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva highlighted the importance of the integration of the region for a “peaceful world order,” “strengthening of multilateralism” and “construction of multipolarity
Lula, in his address, said that “the world is experiencing a moment of multiple crises: pandemic, climate change, natural disasters, geopolitical tensions, pressures on food and energy security, threats to representative democracy.” He said that “these challenges, as we know, are global in nature and require collective responses,” thus adding that “we do not want to import particular rivalries and problems into the region. On the contrary, we want to be part of the solutions to the challenges that belong to everyone.”
In this regard, he called on the countries in the region to lead projects for the preservation of the Amazon. “The cooperation that comes from outside our region is most welcome, but it is the countries that are part of these biomes that must lead, in a sovereign way, the initiatives to take care of the Amazon. Therefore, it is critical that we value our Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization – ACTO,” said Lula.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel welcomed Brazil and Lula’s return to the organization, reaffirming his support and solidarity in the face of the violent and anti-democratic acts that took place on January 8. In this regard, he rejected the interventionist policy of the United States and what he called its instrument, the Organization of American States (OAS), in the region.
Díaz-Canel criticized that the United States “continues the effort to divide us, stigmatize us and subordinate us to their interests, almost 200 years after the promulgation of the Monroe Doctrine.” Nevertheless, he highlighted, “our stubborn reality will always be stronger than any attempt to divide us, because we share challenges derived from an unjust, plundering and undemocratic international order”, recalling that the region is “still the most unequal region.”
He added that the Cuban government “does not recognize, nor will recognize any authority to the OAS, which is the organization that is at the service of the United States. It supported and still supports military interventions, coups d’états and interference in Latin America and the Caribbean against popular and legitimate governments. The OAS is the organization that did nothing against the murders, torture, forced disappearances, and persecution of social, progressive, and left-wing leaders in the region, who will remain forever in our memory.”
Likewise, Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro, who joined the summit through video conferencing mode, called on the member countries to join forces against the US interventionism. “It is imperative that we raise a single voice, and Latin America and the Caribbean tell the United States of North America no more coup, enough sanctions against free and sovereign countries,” said Maduro. He said that there are several political steps to be taken to make Latin America and the Caribbean as an independent territory and called to “join forces and efforts to reject all kinds of interventionism by forces or powers out of our region.”
Earlier Brazil and Argentina presidents in their bilateral discussions announced their programme of working for a South American common currency as a part of bringing about financial and economic integration of the region. Mexico and Argentina also had agreed to work jointly for the development of their resources. There was a general understanding that the left wing governments in the region will take all efforts to make optimum use of their own expertise and technology so that the dependence on the American companies and other foreign companies operating in the region, can be reduced.
At the conclusion of the summit, the heads and representatives of the 33 member countries signed the Buenos Aires declaration, with the purpose of making “Latin America and the Caribbean fully aware of its horizon as a community of sovereign nations, capable of deepening consensus on issues of common interest and contribute to the well-being and development of the region, as well as to urgently overcome poverty and existing inequalities and inequities.”
The declaration affirms the full validity of the proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace and free of nuclear weapons, stressing the country’s commitment to democracy, promotion, protection and respect for human rights. Leaders also committed themselves to promoting “international cooperation, the rule of law, multilateralism, respect for territorial integrity, non-intervention in the internal affairs of States, the defense of sovereignty, as well as the promotion of justice and the maintenance of international peace and security.”
The situation unfolding in Haiti was also mentioned in the declaration and they expressed “deep concern for the progressive deterioration of the public and humanitarian security situation in Haiti, calling on all Haitian political and social actors to reach the necessary consensus to address the serious humanitarian and security crisis that afflicts the country.”
The leaders of the region also called for “an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba” imposed by the US, pointing out that it, “in addition to being contrary to international law, causes serious damage to the well-being of the Cuban people.” Likewise, they rejected Cuba’s inclusion in the list of countries that allegedly sponsor international terrorism, and demanded its exclusion from the unilateral list.. After a long gap, Cuba got big support from the CELAC members in support of its fight against the US economic blockade. The summit declaration had its impact even on the countries which are known as anti left. (IPA Service)
