The 27-member European Union and the 33-nation Community of the Latin American and the Caribbean States (CELAC) concluded their two-day summit in Brussels Tuesday evening promising to strengthen their partnership.
“EU-CELAC summit was an opportunity to give a new dynamic to relations between the EU and Latin America,” President of the European Council, Charles Michel, told a news conference after the summit.
In a 41-para Declaration, the leaders underscored “the need to strengthen the multilateral system and to promote more effective and inclusive global governance, respectful of international law.” “We commit to contributing to the UN system reform efforts, including of the UN Security Council,” it said.
“We acknowledge and profoundly regret the untold suffering inflicted on millions of men, women and children as a result of the trans-Atlantic slave trade,” it stressed.
However, observers here note that the EU-Latin America summit, the first in eight years, was marred by differences over Ukraine and accusations over West’s double standards on international issues.
“We express deep concern on the ongoing war against Ukraine,” said one-para of the Declaration and expressed support to “all diplomatic efforts aimed at a just and sustainable peace in line with the UN charter.” Ralph Gonsalves, President of CELAC and Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadine, told the joint press conference that “the relationship between CELAC and the EU is stronger today than yesterday.” Referring to the Declaration, he said “not everyone got the language which they wanted. It was hard going to get the Declaration.” Gonsalves went on to say that “historically we had a lot of big power activities against smaller, poorer and less powerful countries. And we see that happening in Latin America and the Caribbean.” “When you raise certain principles of non-interference in internal affairs, the use of force they will ignore you. They are the same countries the ones who are raising the same principles in Ukraine. We have to get rid of hypocrisy if you want a better world,” he stressed.
“Most of Europe was, and still is, overwhelmingly the lopsided beneficiary in a relationship in which our Latin America, and our Caribbean, have been and are unequally yoked,” he added.
One country, said to be Nicaragua, did not endorse the Declaration “due to its disagreement with one paragraph”, noted the Declaration.
During the summit, leaders broached a wide range of topics, including enhanced cooperation in multilateral fora; global peace and stability; trade and investment; economic recovery; efforts to combat climate change; research and innovation; justice and security for citizens.
The leaders also decided to hold the EU-Latin American summit every two years.
Source: Kuwait News Agency