Fourth CELAC-EU Summit begins in Colombia with Cuba in attendance

Images via the PCC

By Hector Martinez, translated from the Spanish

Santa Marta, Colombia.– The Fourth Summit Meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union commenced on Sunday morning in this South American city, transforming it into a hub of international diplomacy. Over the course of two days, delegations from countries on both sides of the Atlantic will explore methods to rejuvenate bi-regional relations.

Salvador Valdés Mesa, a member of the Political Bureau and Vice President of the Republic of Cuba, leads the Cuban delegation to the meeting. The delegation also includes Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, a member of the Political Bureau and Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as Deputy Foreign Minister Anayansi Rodríguez Camejo and other senior officials from Minrex.

In welcoming the participants, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, the host of the Summit, highlighted the centuries of shared history between the two continents. He reflected on how gatherings like this can help address the challenging global context we face today, where barbarism and war threaten the very concept of democracy.

The co-chair of the Summit and President of the European Council, António Costa, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to lead such a significant event. He extended support and solidarity to the nations and communities impacted by Hurricane Melissa. Costa also emphasized that in a multipolar world, cooperation holds the utmost importance, as evidenced by the strengthening relationships between CELAC and the European Union.

The opening session was also attended by Mario Lubetkin, the Foreign Minister of Uruguay, which is set to assume the presidency of CELAC, along with Kaja Kallas, the High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission. Both emphasized the importance of this Summit in strengthening bi-regional relations.

During his visit to this country, Valdés Mesa met with the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and the vice president, Francia Márquez, who hosted the meeting.

He expressed gratitude to the Colombian president for the solidarity and assistance provided to the victims in Cuba following Hurricane Melissa's passage through the eastern part of the country. He also reaffirmed the stance of the Cuban Government in rejecting the aggressions faced by the Colombian Head of State by the current U.S. administration.

In a similar vein, Petro and Valdés Mesa discussed the present circumstances in the Caribbean basin, resulting from Washington's military escalations, which violates the intentions outlined in the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, approved at the II CELAC Summit in Havana.

During his visit to Colombia, the Vice President of the Republic of Cuba also met with a group of Cubans living in the country.

This work was translated and shared by a License CC-BY-NC