Arce said on his social networks that “we’ve handed over the Baton of Command to our vice president, David Choquehuanca, before leaving for Venezuela to participate in the Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), on the 20th anniversary of its founding.”
This integrationist forum was founded on December 14, 2004 in Havana, by the historical leaders of Cuba and Venezuela, Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez, after signing a Joint Declaration and the Agreement for the Implementation of ALBA.
Bolivia joined in April 2006, coinciding with the incorporation of the People’s Trade Treaty (TCP), which proposes exchanges based on complementarity, solidarity and cooperation.
Currently, this continental structure is made up of Cuba and Venezuela (integrated in 2004); Bolivia (2006), Nicaragua (2007); Dominica (2008), Antigua and Barbuda (2009); Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2009), Saint Kitts and Nevis (2014); Grenada (2014) and Saint Lucia (2021).
Today noon the agenda included welcoming of leaders and a private meeting among them half an hour later.
The day’s agenda also includes a tour of the 20 Years of ALBA-TCP exhibition, taking the official photograph and the transfer to the venue where the ALBA-TCP 24th Summit will take place.
The plenary session will be moderated by the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, followed by speeches by the heads of delegations.
Addressing the meeting will be the head of the Presidential Transition Council of Haiti, Leslie Voltaire; the Vice-Chancellor of the Republic of Honduras, Gerardo Torres; and the Advisor to the President of State for International Affairs and Special Envoy of the State of Palestine, Riad Malki.
At 17:00 hours Venezuelan time, the Declaration of the 24th Summit will be read, reaffirming the principles, objectives, commitments and banners of struggle of ALBA-TCP 20 years after its founding.
A special communiqué on the Bicentennial of the Battle of Ayacucho and a special declaration in support of Palestine will also be presented.
President Maduro will introduce the AgroAlba project, previous to Saturday’s end of session, and the closing of the summit and the farewell to participants.
The roots of ALBA-TCP lie in the Jamaica Charter (1815), when Simón Bolívar established the doctrine of unity and sovereignty of the countries that have declared independence from European colonial powers.
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