Ibero American summit concludes with consensus rejecting unilateral coercive measures

Ibero American summit concludes with consensus, rejecting ‘unilateral coercive measures’

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The XXVIII. Ibero-American Summit ended this Saturday in the Dominican Republic with a consensus on its main points and a rejection of the “use of unilateral coercive measures” in its final declaration.

The Ibero-American leaders agreed on their positions on the four main objectives of the summit: environmental charter, digitization, food security and financial architecture, the latter being the most discussed until the last moment, according to a cable from the EFE agency.

In addition, they reached agreements on other issues such as the III. Four-Year Cooperation Action Plan 2023-2027, the resolution to promote gender equality and the commitment to promote democracy, the report added.

In the final press conference, the host of the summit, Dominican President Luis Abinader, stated that they also made commitments under international law, including the principle of sovereignty, non-interference in affairs between states and their legal equality.

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They also agreed on the importance of a new migration regime that respects the human rights of migrants, coordinating the fight against cross-border crime and the need for a fairer system, according to Spanish media.

Likewise, the 22 participating countries expressed their “deep concern” about the situation in Haiti and expressed their full solidarity with the Caribbean country, while commenting on the energy transition, the sustainability of the seas and the situation of the Malvinas.

“Unilateral coercive measures” and the embargo against Cuba

In the summit’s closing statement, the leaders present “rejected the use of unilateral coercive measures, contrary to international law and the Charter of the United Nations, which prevent States from addressing their development needs and priorities.”

In addition, they reaffirmed their commitment “to democracy, the rule of law, strict respect for the Charter of the United Nations and international law, including the principles of sovereignty, non-interference in the internal affairs of States and legal equality between States”. , the right of every people freely to choose and build their political, economic and social system and institutions in peace, stability and justice, as well as access to information, justice and due process”.

Meanwhile, the top representatives of the Ibero-American countries, in a special statement, also rejected the US embargo on Cuba and the application of the Helms-Burton Act, and called on Washington to “accept the 30 resolutions of the General Assembly of the UN asking to endorse this policy.” stop,” the official website Cubadebate points out.

Similarly, they opposed Cuba’s presence on the list of countries considered by the United States to be sponsors of terrorism and called for its removal from that list, the information added.

In his speech at the summit, President Miguel DĂ­az-Canel had reiterated the island’s charge of the “escalation” of the US embargo and considered Cuba’s inclusion on the “wrong” list an “insult to the truth and an insult to countries that do not respect the U.S. embargo.” promote terrorism.

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Immigration, Haiti and EU-Latin America Relations

Immigration, support for Haiti and revitalizing relations between Latin America and the European Union (EU) were among the major themes of the summit, said Secretary General of Latin America Andrés Allamand, quoted by EFE.

In the final press conference, Allamand pointed to immigration as a problem affecting all regions of the world and in particular the Ibero-American community and, in the search for solutions from the summit, announced the idea of ​​​​organizing a conference on the subject in the third quarter of this year , place and date are still pending.

Referring to the situation in Haiti, Allamand stressed that “it is becoming an important issue for the Ibero-American community” and reiterated Abinader’s view that without pacification there is no solution for the Caribbean country.

“The previous step for ideas like institution building and normalizing the country is its pacification,” he reiterated, according to Spanish media.

Regarding EU-Latin America relations, he highlighted the speech by the head of European diplomacy, Spaniard Josep Borrell, at the summit and hoped that the unfinished agreements would be closed and the negotiations would not be dragged out forever, as well that the case should be strong support for investment in both directions.

Prepare the documents of the Ibero-American Summit in Santo Domingo

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Financial architecture and next summit

The biggest stumbling block at this summit was the pledge to create a new financial architecture to help recover from the pandemic and face the difficult international situation, EFE reported.

It was not until lunch that it was agreed to make the issue of the financial architecture to mitigate foreign debt visible. However, Abinader wanted to clarify that it was a matter of form rather than substance and now finance and finance ministers will work on the implementation of this project, the office adds.

The next summit will take place on November 29, 2024 in Quito, Ecuador, under the motto “Innovation, Inclusion and Sustainability in Iberoamerica”.

“Ecuador accepts the challenge,” said President Guillermo Lasso, who pointed to three other important issues to be discussed at the regional forum: promoting the circular economy, food security and ecological transition.

“The challenges require joint action by all members of the Ibero-American community,” said Lasso, inviting people to look “with hope” for unity in the region.

EFE / OnCuba