BRUSSELS, July 11 (Prensa Latina) The 2023 Brussels People’s Summit will defend equal relations between the European Union (EU) and Latin America without positions reminiscent of colonialism, Bolivia’s MAS-IPSP platform said in Belgium today.
In dialogue with Prensa Latina, Marla Ruiz, here representing the Movement for Socialism – Political Instrument for Peoples’ Sovereignty (MAS-IPSP) platform, viewed the forum planned for July 17-18 as a space for resistance and struggle for the Latin American and Caribbean rights.
“We will raise our voices to make our peoples visible, to demand respect for their legitimate governments, and to denounce and condemn the impositions and unilateral coercive measures,” he announced, referring to the meeting taking place in parallel with the EU-EU summit of the Latin Community American States and Caribbean (Celac).
According to the Bolivian activist, the centers of power within the framework of colonial positions have promoted policies, treaties and relations with the region that have not benefited Latin America and the Caribbean.
Therefore, at the People’s Summit, we will call for an open and respectful bi-regional dialogue with mutually beneficial and fair outcomes, unlike in the past, he said.
Ruiz insisted on defending the right of Latin American and Caribbean countries to choose their own path, with genuine democracies adapted to their situation, distancing themselves from neoliberalism and economic and cultural domination.
In this regard, he warned of the consequences faced by peoples pursuing an independent path, such as the 2019 coup in Bolivia, the attempt in Brazil earlier this year, the blockades against Cuba and Venezuela, and hostility towards Nicaragua .
With regard to the unequal North-South relations, he recalled the interest of the powerful in appropriating the rich resources of the region, which he illustrated using the example of Bolivian lithium.
The people’s summit will also be an opportunity to reject policies of exclusion and blockades, he told Prensa Latina.
Ruiz highlighted the links of the MAS-IPSP platform in Belgium with the Latin American Solidarity Coordinator, a multi-organizational movement that was very actively involved in the preparations for the July 17th and 18th forum.