AEC celebrates VIII Summit of Heads of State and Government in Nicaragua

The Republic of Nicaragua hosts the 8th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), which takes place this Friday in the framework of the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the international organization. In his inauguration speech, the Nicaraguan leader, Daniel Ortega, deliberated on the negative effects of climate change, economy and peace, among other issues of regional interest. “It is a huge challenge to fight this battle and to fight for the security of life for peace, there will be no peace as we are being victimized in the way that the global economy continues to develop”, said President Ortega. The Heads of State and representatives of the 25 member countries of the ACS and 9 of the 12 Associate Members are planning to issue a joint statement on the impact of climate change in the Caribbean, as well as the Managua Action Plan 2019-2021 that will guide the path of cooperation for the next biennium, these being the main topics of the meeting. The Venezuelan delegation at the Summit is headed by the sectoral vice president for Social and Territorial Development, Aristóbulo Istúriz, accompanied by the Vice-minister for the Caribbean, Raúl Li Causi, and the Vice-minister for Latin America, Alexander Yánez, of the People’s Power Ministry for External relationships. During his speech, Vice President Istúriz congratulated the work achieved in recent days that has allowed the discussion of the Action Plan 2019-2021 and the Declaration of Managua, through which each country has ratified its commitment to the mandate of the ACS to promote intercultural dialogue, cooperation and solidarity among nations. Venezuela and the ACS Last Wednesday, the Vice-minister for the Caribbean of the People’s Power Ministry for Foreign Relations, Raúl Li Causi, attended the preparatory meeting of the XXIV Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers, held yesterday, and the VIII Summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), whose pro tempore presidency exercised the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela during the period 2017-2018. In March 2018, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Jorge Arreaza, presented the pro tempore presidency of the organization to the Nicaraguan Vice Chancellor Valdrack Jaentschke, who received on behalf of his Government the highest level of leadership of the Association. The People’s Power Minister for Foreign Relations on that occasion praised the Caribbean block’s capacity for action in the face of adversity. “The ACS has always been present as a mechanism for cooperation, concerted action, coordination of policies, and the search for sustainable development ( …) The AEC has had the faculty to keep up in activity under any circumstance, despite the diversity, the historical moments and the differences that may exist between governments”, he emphasized during the XXIII Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Association of Caribbean States (AEC), held on the island of Margarita. The ACS is the organization for consultation, cooperation and concerted action in the field of trade, transport, sustainable tourism and disaster risk management in the Greater Caribbean. Its Member States are Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, San Cristóbal and Nieves, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.