January 25, 2017- At the V Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American States (CELAC), Foreign Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, the Hon. Mark Brantley, called on his colleagues from the 33 member organization to do more to further integrate the region.
During his very spirited and well received intervention, Minister Brantley commended the Community for the advances the region has made in terms of integration and political dialogue to address the priority issues of the region. He encouraged member states to continue to cooperate on these issues in a spirit of solidarity, understanding, tolerance and flexibility. In this regard, he encouraged countries to utilize mechanisms that allow interaction and hassle free movement of nationals throughout the region, as a means of further integrating the region.
Speaking to the issue of peace, Minister Brantley reminded the Heads of State of CELAC that “Peace is a rare commodity which we should seek to protect”, especially since many countries depend on tourism, noting that countries should strive to resolve difficulties in a peaceful manner, exploiting every diplomatic means. In the same vein, he urged the distinguished authorities of CELAC to strive to achieve consensus within CELAC on issues of keen interest to the region, to ensure that in other multilateral fora the region can have a united front, speaking with one powerful voice. Minister Brantley said that “a single voice might not be heard but CELAC’s united voice of 33 countries presents a sweet symphony which the world cannot ignore”.
The V Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American States (CELAC) was held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic from January 21-25, 2017.
