President Alberto Fernández handed over the pro tempore presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) on Tuesday to the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, who took office for the period 2023.
The president finalized the transfer during the closing of the VII Summit of Heads of State and Government that was held in Buenos Aires.
In a brief closing speech, Fernández thanked “to each country that is part of Celac for the accompaniment throughout this year”.
And he dedicated a few words to the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva: “Thank you, friend, for having brought Celac to Brazil, where it should always have been”, he expressed to his peer from the neighboring country, sitting next to him.
For Fernández, “the challenge next year is to work with the European Union” in a summit to be held next June, because, he said, “it will be very relevant.”
By considering the vote for the 2023 period, which fell to Gonsalves, the Argentine head of state handed over the attributes of the pro tempore presidency of Celac.
Taking their word for it, Gonsalves thanked Fernández and Da Silva, both sitting at the head.
“Thank you for electing me to the presidency for temporary to Celac 2023”, Gonsalves pointed out and added: “That a small country presides over Celac, and being elected by my colleagues, is very important“, completed the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Meeting with Gonsalves
Fernandez Y gonsalvesagreed to emphasize that the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) “is the ideal environment to deepen integration and consolidate ties between the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
The leaders formulated these concepts in a bilateral meeting that they held within the framework of the VII Summit of Heads of State and Government of Celacwhich takes place at the Sheraton hotel in Buenos Aires, reported sources from the Argentine Presidency.
Fernández and Gonsalves also celebrated the creation of the Loss and Damage Fund, within the framework of COP27, and reaffirmed their commitment to climate action.
At this point they warned that “mitigation and adaptation efforts have to be accompanied by greater ambition in the provision and mobilization of financial resources from developed countries.”
Likewise, the President and the Prime Minister highlighted the launch of the “Environmental Humanitarian Visa Program”which can be accessed by nationals and residents of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean who were displaced by socio-natural disasters, and cooperation between the diplomatic academies of both countries.
The Argentine Head of State thanked the Caribbean country for its support for the resumption of negotiations between Argentina and the United Kingdom in order to find a peaceful and definitive solution to the sovereignty dispute related to the Malvinas Question.
????? | President @alferdez held a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, @ComradeRalphand stressed the importance of @PPT_CELAC to deepen integration and the bond between peoples ⬇️https://t.co/HRfBuNlrT0 pic.twitter.com/hg6gcECDsm
– Casa Rosada (@CasaRosada) January 24, 2023
The Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, participated in the meeting, Luciana Titus; the Undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gustavo Martinez Pandianiand the chancellor of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, susan dugan.
They announced that the date of the next Celac-EU summit will be July 17 and 18
The next summit of heads of state and government of the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) will be held on July 17 and 18 in Brussels, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, announced on Tuesday. , and the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, who assumed the pro tempore presidency of the regional forum for this year.
“The EU-Celac summit will further strengthen the bi-regional association of the EU and the CELAC countries around shared priorities such as digital and green transitions, the fight against climate change and the loss of biodiversity, health, security food, migration, security and governance or the fight against transnational crime”said a statement from the European Council.
The meeting, which will take place while Spain holds the presidency of the European bloc, had been agreed at the meeting that the foreign ministers of the EU and CELAC held in Buenos Aires last October.
Meanwhile, Michel congratulated Gonsalves after the summit that took place in Buenos Aires designated Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for the presidency of Celac during 2023.
At the same time, both congratulated Alberto Fernández for his “successful” pro tempore presidency of the regional mechanism this year.
