Ernesto Samper: SELA must continue working on convergence for integration

The former President of Colombia and President of Corporación Escenarios, Ernesto Samper, stressed the importance of strengthening convergence in order to move towards integration, which is a fundamental part of the work of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA). “In order to continue working on “CONVERGENCE,” SELA must work to create and recreate a new agenda with a solidarity-based development model,” Samper said.

During his participation in the Forum on “Regional integration, perspectives and experiences of Latin America and the Caribbean,” held at the headquarters of SELA in Caracas, the former Colombian president affirmed that integration must be a priority in the Latin American agenda, the first step for such reconstruction being the de-idealization of integration processes.

Ernesto Samper stressed the importance of reactivating UNASUR, “which has been the most complex experience in terms of integration in the region.” He added that work was being done on the proposal for a new Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which would serve as Latin America's chancellery to the rest of the world.

“We need to be able to behave as blocs in a new multilateral structure, which is why we must make the effort to integrate and we have no excuses for not doing so,” Ernesto Samper pointed out.

The Forum on “Regional integration, perspectives and experiences of Latin America and the Caribbean” was organized within the framework of the XLVIII Regular Meeting of the Latin American Council of SELA and was moderated by the Ambassador of Argentina in Venezuela, Óscar Laborde, with the purpose of analysing and contextualizing the challenges of integration for the development of Latin America and the Caribbean.