The presidents of Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Panama, nations that make up the Alliance for Development in Democracy, promised to continue working to ensure that Nicaragua finds “peaceful and negotiated solutions” to the political crisis that the country is suffering, accentuated since April 2018.
This was the fourth summit of the Alliance, after the leaders Carlos Alvarado Quesada, Luis Abinader Corona and Laurentino Cortizo Coen, representing the three aforementioned nations, gave life to the organization in New York, in September 2021.
“We are not going to let go of the finger, in the line of what we believe is happening badly in Nicaragua,” President Alvarado assured, recalling that the Alliance had indicated that the elections of last November did not have any semblance of legality, “as was eventually found and from that… we have been pointing out our rejection of the issue of political prisoners, and the need for them to be released as soon as possible”.
That should include a greater coordination between the representatives of those countries within the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), in response to the complaint of the Nicaraguan opposition sectors, who question what consider complicity from the bankWhat is it the main source of external resources for the Ortega regime.
The Dominican Abinader pointed out that every time he meets with Alvarado and Cortizo within the framework of the Alliance, they do what they can for Nicaraguaaccording to what the law allows them, “and within the limitations we have”, and that their delegates -in the UN, the OAS, or in the multilateral banks- act in accordance with the principles of democracy, “which obviously do not are practiced in Nicaragua”, as evidenced by the pronouncements of different countries, which denounce the existence of political prisoners“which is outrageous, and is unacceptable,” he reiterated.
“We have been doing everything that our limitations and our capacity for action allow us. We will continue to be spokespersons for democratic practices and denouncingas in the case of Nicaragua, where that does not exist”, he added.
Reiterating that Nicaragua will not be forgotten, Alvarado said that “peaceful and dialogued solutions must be reached, with mechanisms that allow it to be done. Is our role as an international communitybut it should also be pointed out that the solutions for Nicaragua have to come from the Nicaraguans, and that is fundamental in any conflict resolution process in a country”.
Save SICA
The leaders of the three nations took the opportunity to point out the difficult situation in which the Central American Integration System (SICA) finds itself, headless for several months, after the countries of the isthmus rejected the candidates of Daniel Ortega to occupy the secretariat of the regional organization.
“SICA is important for the region”, but “it requires a series of adjustments”, said the Panamanian Cortizo, clarifying that it is not about replacing it with the Alliance, or any other organization.
The Costa Rican said that the Alliance has tried to resolve “the issue of SICA, particularly the impossibility that there has been for some time now to appoint a general secretariat,” which according to the Tegucigalpa Agreements, it is up to Nicaragua to propose.
“When Costa Rica had the pro tempore presidency, the re-election of Vinicio Cerezo was proposed, which did not receive consensus and since then we have been in an impasse. That is what the countries that are here are trying to solve to give it functionality, and reopen the political dialogue”, he acknowledged.
“We aspire for SICA to work, and we have been working on that. I don’t lose hope that it will reach its goal. It is an important organism. It allows us -making adjustments that are necessary- to have a more direct dialogue with our brother countries”, detailed the Panamanian.
Alvarado reiterated the words of his canal counterpart, saying that the Alliance does not intend to replace SICA, but “it is a political and diplomatic mechanism”, where three countries with a similar vision in terms of democracy, economy, and human rights, ” we generate a flexible informal work mechanism that, as we have already shown, bears fruit”.
The presidential appointment also served to propose several projects aimed at improving the situation of the citizens of the three nations and, by extension, of others in Central America.
The leaders recalled that their countries serve as a destination -or transit- for thousands of migrants, for which they asked a US representative present at the meeting as observers to help create a fund to finance projects that generate jobs, promote democracy and combat climate change, on the understanding that this should help curb irregular migration.
A plan was also drawn up to offer microcredits to women entrepreneurs, in addition to presenting another proposal to the United States, to supply natural gas to the region, or collaborate in an initiative to moderate fuel prices.
Finally, businessmen from the three countries gave life to a Business Council in which their American peers are also present, to establish a synergy that allows generating more investment and employment opportunities for the people of the four nations.
