Former Venezuelan Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia was appointed this Thursday Secretary General of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) replacing the Bolivian Sacha Llorenti.
The appointment came to light during the summit of heads of state and government that is being held this Thursday in Havana on the occasion of the 18th anniversary of the creation of the bloc.
Official Photo of the XXII Summit of ALBA – TCP! Latin America and the Caribbean united in liberating, revolutionary principles, in deep brotherhood and in fraternal cooperation. pic.twitter.com/PCByg4L1qA
— Nicolas Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) December 15, 2022
“We salute comrade Félix Plasencia, the new Secretary General of ALBA,” Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro wrote on Twitter, highlighting the “impeccable role” of the veteran diplomat “in each entrusted task of the Bolivarian Revolution.” “I am sure that he will continue to advance in the objective of uniting our peoples. Successes! ”, He concluded.
Plasencia, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela between 2021 and 2022, had been serving as his country’s ambassador to Colombia for a few months, after the rapprochement of both nations with the arrival of Gustavo Petro to the Colombian presidency.
The new Secretary General of this Alliance previously served as Vice Minister for Multilateral Issues and Vice Minister for Asia, the Middle East and Oceania in the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry. He also worked in the Ministries of Tourism and Foreign Trade.
In addition to the host Miguel Díaz-Canel and Nicolás Maduro, the president of Bolivia, Luis Arce and that of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, among other representatives of the member countries, participate in the meeting in Havana. Also present was former Cuban President Raúl Castro.
The meeting has served, in the first place, to support left-wing leaders in the region, especially the Argentine vice president, Cristina Fernández, and the former Peruvian president, Pedro Castillo. Several presidents of the block have also advocated for providing the block with concrete content with new practical projects.
This regional structure, known as ALBA, was founded in 2004 as a joint initiative of the then presidents of Cuba and Venezuela, Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez, in response to other regional associations of different political persuasions.
ALBA meeting rejects Summit of the Americas without Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua
ALBA currently has ten members: Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Venezuela; and three special guests (Haiti, Syria and Suriname).
Efe/OnCuba.
