July 17, 2023, 4:00 AM
July 17, 2023, 4:00 AM
The Head of State Luis Arce is already in Brussels, Belgium, to participate in the III Summit of the European Union – Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac). In addition to attending the meeting of rulers, he will integrate the People’s Summit with a more political tone and will visit a Belgian university to address strategic industrialization and import substitution.
Vice Foreign Minister Freddy Mamani reported that the president will include in his speech the plans that the country applied for economic reactivation in the face of the global and national crisis and will propose other initiatives to the plenary.
“One of the central issues is the economic reactivation that is considered as a proposal raised from Bolivia, but also at an international level in a quite complex moment of crisis. Bolivia has faced political conflicts in 2019 and the health crisis, but there is also a political crisis in Eastern Europe and the trigger is the energy problem that leads to the fertilizer and food crisis,” explained the vice minister.
Bolivia seeks to achieve trade, investment and multilateral strengthening agreements on July 17 and 18.
The agenda of issues to be discussed by the heads of state of both organizations includes: human rights, respect for the United Nations charter, strengthening multilateralism, the conflict and crisis in Ukraine; the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States against Cuba; environment, biodiversity, climate change and water; sustainable development and international cooperation.
On the other hand, the vice chancellor said that the European Union is likely to insist on the launch of the Global Gateway 2025-2027 program, which consists of closing the infrastructure investment gap by using public financing to attract private capital and investment. .
The presidential agenda consists of a visit, on Monday morning, to a Belgian university to discuss the issue of strategic industrialization. The European Council will then open the Summit at 16:00 Belgian time. Later, starting at 8:00 p.m., Arce will participate in the People’s Summit, organized by civil society and left-wing parties.
On Tuesday, July 18, the plenary session is scheduled where the presidents will intervene and propose some initiatives. In the afternoon, the conclusions will be issued and the adoption of the political declaration is still being negotiated.