Quito.- The presidents of Costa Rica, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, as well as the vice president of Panama, gave support to democracy in the region on Monday, during the inauguration, in Quito, of the sixth Meeting of the Alliance for Development in Democracy (ADD).
When inaugurating the event, the host president, Guillermo Lasso, took the opportunity to express “Ecuador’s democratic commitment and reaffirm the common principles that unite us in the defense and promotion of the values of the Republic, the rule of law, democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The meeting of the add It comes at difficult political times for Lasso, as the National Assembly approved last Saturday to open the impeachment process for its censorship, by approving a report from a commission investigating an alleged corruption plot involving a circle close to the ruler.
DEMOCRACY AND INTEGRATION
The President of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves, commented that the challenges they face seem great but he assured that “unity, integration and dialogue in a space of countries with the same democratic vocation, as we are, are fundamental tools to promote the commercial, cultural and social links in the region”.
“But above all, to guarantee our citizens that democracy is the institutional mechanism, the rules of the game by which we can achieve not only development but shared prosperity, and social peace,” he added.
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Chaves noted that the Quito meeting invites us, “under the light of democracy, to be an example for all of Latin America and for the world, of a development that has as allies the strength of our institutions, of our rule of law, of the separation of powers, and political stability, which bothers many because they do not want democratic regimes to succeed.
“And we see it unfortunately here and very close to all of us in this region,” he commented without elaborating.
“The citizens of our nations -he said- trust in our will, in the objective that we have set for a more prosperous region, within the framework of an increasingly solid and stable democracy, and with fewer threats with short-term interests , which risk the future well-being of our peoples”.
DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACY
Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic, recalled that the ADD has four pillars- the political, in charge of Panama; cooperation (Costa Rica); trade and investment (Dominican Republic) and environmental sustainability and circular economy (Ecuador).
His country -he added- has focused its work on strengthening supply chains to identify the areas in which countries have comparative advantages to encourage foreign investment and foreign trade with the main strategic partners- the United States, Canada and the European Union, among others.
He noted that the business forum to promote countries as safe investment destinations will be a fundamental part of this month’s Ibero-American Summit in his country and in the tenth Summit of the Americas in 2025, also in his nation.
He agreed with Chaves that the “defense of democracy and the electoral method as the democratic method par excellence. We believe that any attempt in another direction would be negative for any country, especially for our countries.”
INSTITUTIONALITY
Panama assigns “the highest importance to this effort of common will that we have undertaken and that is based on our common values of democracy, respect for institutions and the rule of law,” said its vice president, José Carrizo.
And he added that the challenges, such as the impact of climate change, the strengthening of institutions have led to new collaborative and innovative forms of integration.
“Strengthening democracy requires continuous construction, driven by change and always ready to take on new challenges,” he said.
He added that the “efforts to promote actions that favor transparency, participation, justice, promotion and protection of human rights have been the cornerstone of this Alliance for which Panama will continue to maintain a high and constructive active voice.”
The meeting is also expected to involve the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Government of Spain, José Manuel Albares, via videoconference.
