Cuba has highlighted the declaration of the IV Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU), although it regretted that it omitted a strong condemnation of the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean.
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez stated on social media that the document adopted in Santa Marta reaffirms the character of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, opposed to the use or threat of force and committed to the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with International Law.
Rodríguez emphasized that the declaration ratifies the need to lift the blockade imposed by Washington, rejects measures with extraterritorial effects, and questions the designation of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
However, the minister lamented that the text lacks “a strong condemnation of the offensive and extraordinary US military deployment in the Caribbean Sea, which jeopardizes regional peace, stability, and security,” despite having been extensively debated at the summit.
The document also condemns the escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, attacks by Israeli settlers, the expansion of illegal settlements, and the military offensive in Gaza.
On development, it calls for strengthening bi-regional cooperation to address climate change, promoting the 2030 Agenda, guaranteeing development financing, and demanding that developed countries fulfill their Official Development Assistance commitments.
Finally, the declaration thanked Colombia for its pro tempore presidency and agreed to maintain high-level political dialogue, as well as to hold the Fifth CELAC-EU Summit in Brussels in 2027.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
