Declaration of The 15th ALBA-TCP Summit

The Heads of States and Government of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Trade Treaty of the Peoples (ALBA-TCP) member nations are gathered in Caracas by the inspiration by the ideas of the leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro Ruz and Commander Hugo Chavez Frias whose thinking and work are embodied in the true ideals of the integration of Latin American and the Caribbean.

We reaffirm the principles of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Peace Zone, signed by the Heads of States and/or Government at the 2nd CELAC Summit held in Havana on January 28th and 29th, 2014.

We demand the strict observance of the Objectives and Principles of the UN Charter and International Law, among others, in the peaceful solution to controversies, the prohibition of the use and threats of force, respect to self-determination, sovereignty, territorial integration and the non-interference in the internal affairs of each nation.

We ratify the validity, in the current context of aggressions against progressive nations in the region, of the Declaration of the 14th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the ALBA-TCP on March 5 th 2017.

We reiterate the decision to continue constructing a new just and inclusive, multi-centric and plural-polar international order, in contrast to hegemonic and unilateral tendencies, with strict respect to the people, to institutions elected by them and the cultural diversity that exists in our planet.

We denounce attempts to revive the Monroe Doctrine in addition to military threats and attempts of military coups against the constitutional government of Venezuela.

We highlight the lack of moral authority of third States to offer lessons regarding democracy and human rights to the regional countries and we demand respect to the sovereignty and self-determination of the Venezuelan people.

We reject the intervention policy of the General Secretary of the Organization of American States (OAS) and some countries of that organization against the progressive nations of the region.

We reiterate our commitment with Latin American and Caribbean unity in the search for its own destiny, independence and sovereignty, without interference that affect our peoples and development, we defend our own commitment with the genuine integration and Caribbean processes in entities like CELAC, UNASUR, PETROCARIBE, CARICOM and ALBA-TCP to guarantee sovereignty, independence, equality and self-determination of our peoples.

We express our disagreement with the announcement of a group of countries in the continent, issued on February 13th 2018 in Lima, Peru constituting an interference in the internal affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. We condemn the exclusion of the sister nation of Venezuela and its President Nicolas Maduro Moros to the 8th Summit of the Americas. We consider the Summit to be a meeting point for all States in the continent and a space to express our ideas, reach consensus, debate and dissent regarding our diversity.

We demand respect to the legality to the organization of the Summit of the Americas, in this sense, we demand the right for Venezuela’s participation in the event and we propose to exercise diplomatic and political measures to guarantee our goal.

We urge the international community to abstain from any type of coercive exercises against the political independence and territorial integrity of Venezuela as an incompatible practice of International Law and the UN Charter and contrary to the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Peace Zone.

We reject unilateral coercive measures and sanctions imposed against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela that affects the life and development of the noble people of Venezuela and the enjoyment of their rights.

We reaffirm our firm support to the Constitutional President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro Moros and his Government and democratic process that he leads.

We recognize the inalienable rights of the Venezuelan people to hold and participate in Presidential and Legislative elections on the national, state and municipal levels in compliance with their norms and internal procedures.

We support the efforts of the Venezuelan authorities and people to find their own answers to their political and economic challenges.

We denounce the advances of the political and economic corruption in the region expressed by the growing inequality in the distribution of its resources, social exclusion of the most humble sectors, and the financial influence of a large capital in political campaigns, the capital flight and safe refuge of corrupt politicians to third nations that receive them.

We reaffirm the political commitment in the fight against corruption and compliance to the international commitment in the field, while we call on all the regional nations to continue fighting against corruption and organized transnational crime with the objective of guaranteeing the well-being and development of our peoples.

We reaffirm the need to strengthen CELAC, as a privileged space for political agreement in Our America declared a Peace Zone during the 2 nd CELAC Summit in Havana.

We express our unconditional support of Bolivia in their upcoming exercise as Pro Tempore President of CELAC and UNASUR, as mechanisms of dialog to consolidate integration in our region.

We reiterate the international community’s demand for the unconditional lifting of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba, whose extraterritoriality affects all States. We also condemn the new measures that reinforce the blockade and the recent unilateral decisions of the US government that affect the Cuban people, US citizens and relations with Cuba.

We highlight the commitment of the Bolivian Government and people in peacefully searching for solutions through International Law, negotiations and successful dialog in their maritime problem that affect regional integration and impedes their development.

We congratulate and greet the Ecuadorean people for their participation in the popular consultation and referendum of February 4th, 2018 in addition to the majority support to President Lenin Moreno which has allowed strengthening democracy.

We reiterate our support to our brothers in the Caribbean, victims of natural disasters and climate change and we will contribute in an active manner to overcome the damages provoked by recent hurricanes. We demand a just and differentiated treatment for the Caribbean States. We reaffirm our solidarity before the so-called “graduation” and the actions of countries outside the region against several Caribbean nations declaring them non-cooperative jurisdictions and we join the demands of compensation for the horrors of slavery and slave trade.

We call on all social and political organizations in the continent to participate in forums and activities of social movements and progressive forces that will be held in 2018.

We defend the unity of the diversity in Our America. We condemn the embarrassing exclusion and intervention.

Unity of our People is not only an ideal of humanity….but an infallible decree of destiny.

“Let us unite and we will be invincible”
Simon Bolivar

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author's personal views, and do not necessarily represent the views of Newsclick.