Worker cleaning a banner for the III EU-CELAC Summit. Photo: European Union.
Delcy Rodríguez, the vice president of Venezuela, arrived in Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday to take part in the III Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU).
Vice President Rodríguez was received by European Union officials along with the Venezuelan Minister for Foreign Affairs Yván Gil, Venezuelan ambassador to Belgium, Claudia Salerno, and Venezuelan ambassador to the EU, Jorge Valero.
Rodriguez expressed via her social media accounts that Venezuela will advocate for “respectful relations between nations” at the summit, countering the supremacist and racist stance often adopted by European authorities who still perceive themselves as the colonial masters of the 19th century.
En nombre del Pdte. @NicolasMaduro hemos llegado a Bruselas para participar en la III Cumbre UE-CELAC.
La Diplomacia Bolivariana de Paz aboga por relaciones de respeto entre iguales y es la voz de nuestro pueblo en el mundo. pic.twitter.com/nOMIQMPBYP
— Delcy Rodríguez (@delcyrodriguezv) July 16, 2023
“On behalf of President Nicolás Maduro, we have arrived in Brussels to participate in the III EU-CELAC Summit. The Bolivarian diplomacy of peace advocates relations of respect among equals and is the voice of our people throughout the world,” she wrote.
Currently, it is confirmed that 28 delegations from CELAC have arrived in Brussels. The EU-CELAC Summit is scheduled to occur in the Belgian capital on July 17-18.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has confirmed his attendance at the meeting, and there are high expectations that he will address the issue of illegal sanctions, the US blockade, and the ongoing conflict between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia, which is currently impacting the people of Europe.
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Condemns EU’s Lack of Transparency Ahead of CELAC–EU Summit
Another highly anticipated participant from Latin America is President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva of Brazil.
The Brazilian president strongly condemned the European bloc’s latest proposal on the agreement with South American trade bloc Mercosur, deeming the proposal “unacceptable” as it utilized environmental concerns as a means to further the EU’s hegemonic ambitions, and instead advocating for the establishment of a “partnership” agreement. He has been a vocal critic of Europe’s environmental policies and emphasized that industrialized nations should be held accountable and “pay for the climate damage they have caused.”
Cuba’s Civil Society Denounces Exclusions and Lack of Transparency of CELAC-EU Social Forum
Furthermore, it is anticipated that the member nations of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) will unite in urging Europe to rectify the lasting impact resulting from centuries of slave trade, which utilized these islands as strategic operational bases.
On July 12, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA-TCP) emphasized the importance of respect and inclusion in organizing the summit, as it had shown indications of becoming politicized.
In light of this, they advocated for the advancement of a genuine bi-regional strategic partnership that would “foster the expansion of inclusive and mutually advantageous cooperation in high priority areas, such as post-pandemic economic recovery, development financing, addressing climate change, food security,” and various other areas of shared interest.
(Últimas Noticias) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/KZ
