Fidel and Chavez began the journey. 17 years ago, they set a path of struggle and resistance, optimism and hope, solidarity and integration, which brought us to 2021 as we continue to build and defend the destiny of our peoples together.
In an effort to complement efforts and pursue what unites us, as well as what divides us, on December 14, Havana will once again host the Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of America – Trade Treaty for Cities (ALBA-TCP). Long before the previous meeting – which took place in June of this year – the member states of the Alliance, like the rest of the world, experienced complex and difficult months.
A press team from the Presidency of the Republic of Cuba spoke about the main issues that will determine the agenda of this new appointment – Issue XX -, the prospects for strengthening the Alliance and other fundamental issues for our countries. Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal Ferrero, who expressed her happiness “to welcome our brothers from Latin America and the Caribbean once again here in Cuba.”
He stressed that it will be a favorable occasion to reaffirm our commitment to unity and integration, to exchange views and views on the development of our countries in the current situation, and to create joint strategies that allow us to confront adverse conditions. in the post-pandemic period.
– In the midst of the chaos that the epidemic has caused our countries, what is expected of this summit?
– It will be a good opportunity to assess the regional scenario as a whole and the measures that guarantee peace, stability and political agreement to prevent interference in our internal affairs.
“The pandemic will, logically, be the focus of these discussions, but always bearing in mind that Covid-19 has only exacerbated the problems we were already facing, before which the Alliance prepared an action plan for 2022, which will be analyzed and approved in this space.” .
Expectations and Challenges
Faced with the unquestionable reality of the extent of the epidemic in the world – whether in health, in economic or humanitarian affairs – the Cuban diplomat commented on the main measures that have been implemented, since dawn, to ensure massive access to vaccines against the virus and other medicines.
He stressed that from the moment the health emergency was declared, it has become a priority for the coalition to confront the impact of the epidemic in our countries, in all fields: economic, health and social.
He added that this goal was hampered by the continuous external pressures that many of our peoples suffer from and the application of unilateral coercive measures that prevent access, purchase and financing of medicines, medical supplies and resources necessary to mitigate the effects of the virus.
But we didn’t stop there. On the contrary, we grew up in adversity. Through the Dawn Bank, a humanitarian air bridge has been established to transport vaccines, medical personnel, treatments and supplies, among other things, to the residents of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. In addition, $2 million has been provided to Eastern Caribbean countries, as economic relief for the purchase of vaccines.
Likewise, the Cuban medical staff cooperating in many of these countries has been involved in caring for patients infected with the virus and vaccinating the population.
The benefits also returned to Cuba. According to the information provided by the Deputy Foreign Minister, “In the most dangerous moment of the epidemic on the island, our country received 3.5 tons of medical supplies donated by Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Santa Lucia, which were transported by the Venezuelan airline Conviasa ».
He also highlighted the support given to Cuba by Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia, sister countries that shared their resources in the most critical moments of confrontation with COVID-19 in our homeland.
In two ALBA-TCP countries, in addition to ours – as he remembers – Cuban vaccines were used. Likewise, other medicines from the island, which are indicated to treat patients diagnosed with COVID-19, have also arrived in the member countries of the coalition.
He considered the Cuban diplomat that “it will certainly be a topic in this summit of the twentieth, which will be held on December 14.”
–The emergence of some center-left governments in Latin America may present new challenges to the Alliance. What are the prospects for reinforcement in this scenario?
The Bolivarian Alliance of the Peoples of America – the Treaty of Trade between Our Peoples is a mechanism of coordination and integration designed for the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the defense of peace.
“It is not a competitive mechanism with other coordination or integration processes. It greatly respects the internal affairs of the countries that make up it. It seeks to enhance national capabilities so that they complement each other.”
– Currently one of the most powerful battle scenarios is communication. Is there a cooperation mechanism among the member states of Dawn to defend against the communicative attacks they constantly receive from imperialism?
– The meeting of the higher bodies of the telecommunications sector of the ALBA-TCP member states
Implemented this year Determine that this topic needs special attention and coordination. As a result of that meeting, a set of measures to modernize and strengthen the alliance’s identity was agreed upon.
“Keeping in mind that Member States have been victims of political and digital outreach attacks and campaigns, actions have been identified to denounce and respond to these campaigns.”
After 17 years since the founding of ALBA-TCP, at other times and with other leaders, what do you consider its biggest challenges?
The challenges of the Alliance focus on how to implement our plans and achieve our goals in the midst of the difficult conditions imposed on us by the pandemic, the unilateral coercive measures applied against many member states, and the intensification of blockades and hegemony. Claims of imperialism in America.
“Added to this are the logical problems facing our backward economies, which draw structural distortions and which must develop under an unfair and unequal world economic order; the presence of forces that adversely affect the desire for an independent and integrated Latin America; And the environmental crisis that affects us all equally, but we must face it in unequal conditions.
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