Colombian President Gustavo Petro today handed over the gavel and flag of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to his Uruguayan counterpart, Yamandú Orsi, whose country will hold the bloc’s presidency for the coming year.
In his acceptance speech, the Uruguayan leader emphasized that his country assumes the leadership of this integration mechanism with humility, driven by a conviction regarding the utility of dialogue and consensus; he further stressed how, in a world increasingly beset by conflicts, the region must preserve peace.
Yamandú Orsi noted that while Latin America and the Caribbean constitute a zone free of armed conflicts between nations, it is nonetheless imperative to take measures to address the high rates of violence occurring within individual states.
Orsi asserted that it is essential to strengthen security cooperation in order to dismantle networks dedicated to drug trafficking and arms smuggling, among other criminal activities.
“Crime is combated by strengthening the rule of law; it is remedied through more democracy and greater development. Fighting drug trafficking means defending the peace that Latin America and the Caribbean have successfully built,” he exclaimed.
Furthermore, the Uruguayan president affirmed that multilateralism is the tool that enables states to cooperate and forge agreements, and that a community is built upon trust—specifically through the identification of shared objectives—even when individual positions do not align.
Yamandú Orsi recalled that more than two centuries ago, Simón Bolívar convened the Amphictyonic Congress to preserve liberty, while acknowledging that the countries of the region continue to strive toward achieving that very same goal.
Orsi assured that Uruguay is a pluralistic society—a characteristic that has enabled his country to learn how to engage in dialogue and negotiation with those who hold differing views.
“That is the spirit of this presidency: to promote dialogue, cooperation, and consensus,” he noted. He added that this work must also translate into concrete results regarding issues of common interest, among which he cited energy interconnection, higher education, disaster risk management, and food security.
The handover ceremony for the pro tempore presidency — hosted at the Ágora Convention Center in this capital — took place following the High-Level Forum between CELAC and Africa, which began in this city on the 18th of March.
Representatives from the bloc’s 33 member countries are now participating in the 10th Summit of Heads of State and Government.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
