SELA holds regional meeting on LAC-EU relations

Caracas, 28 February 2008.- The Permanent Secretary of SELA, Ambassador Floria Caricote Lovera, said on Thursday that the organization is absolutely willing to continue to support the actions for follow-up and evaluation of the bi-regional relations and the results of the process of the Summits, in defence and for benefit of the interests of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Permanent Secretary opened on Thursday the Regional Meeting on “Latin America and the Caribbean - European Union Relations and the V Bi-regional Summit of Lima”, along with Uruguay’s Ambassador Gerónimo Cardozo, current chairman of the Latin American Council of SELA.

Participants in this two-day meeting included delegates of the Member States of SELA, representatives of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the Andean Community (CAN), the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR); the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); the Secretariat for Central American Integration (SIECA), the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino) and other distinguished personalities.

Ambassador Caricote Lovera underscored the importance of this event, which is fundamentally aimed at making further strides towards the coordination of common positions among the Latin American and Caribbean nations “which, from the standpoint of the Permanent Secretariat of SELA, is a fundamental element if our region wants to defend its interests as regards economic and social development.”

She also reiterated SELA’s commitment to make strides in the arduous but necessary path towards a Latin American and Caribbean agreement, with the conviction that it is a fundamental requirement to reaffirm and defend the interests of Latin America and the Caribbean vis-à-vis the large and powerful actors on the current global scene.

The Permanent Secretary also thanked the high-ranking authorities of the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV), the Bank for Social and Economic Development (BANDES) and the Andean Development Corporation (CAF), whose collaboration made it possible to conduct this important activity foreseen in the Work Programme of SELA.

This activity forms part of the Work Programme of the Permanent Secretariat of SELA, approved by the 26 Member States of the organization during the latest Latin American Council.

Ambassador Gerónimo Cardozo said that the central topics of the upcoming LAC-EU Bi-regional Summit point to “a historical coincidence” as regards issues such as poverty, inequality and social inclusion, sustainable development, climatic changes and energy, which have consistently raised concerns among our peoples.

“Our region fights with difficulties to make strides towards the solution or mitigation of the problems resulting from these issues and the unacceptable inequalities suffered by most of our countries,” Ambassador Cardozo said.

In this connection, he praised the objectives of the Lima Summit and reiterated his confidence that this meeting held by SELA will contribute to the accomplishment of concrete and tangible results for the region.

As previously stated by the Secretariat, this activity – which is taking place at SELA’s headquarters – is aimed at proposing elements that may contribute to establishing a common regional position, and at reviewing the various approaches and perceptions of the subregions and of those organizations with a regional scope as regards the status of the relations with the EU and the results that could be expected from the upcoming bi-regional Summit.

During the debates, participants will analyze the document “Towards the Lima Summit: Background and elements to build common positions in the region”, which was prepared by the Permanent Secretariat of SELA.
  

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