On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the creation of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People's Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) The XXIV Summit of Heads of State and Government of this integrationist platform began this Saturday in the Venezuelan capital.
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00:00Thank you, Mr. Chair, President Maduro, other heads of state and governments, heads of delegations.
00:12I bring you greetings from the land of the fastest woman in the world.
00:17Let me express, President, the regrets of our Prime Minister, Hon. Philip J. Pierre, who wished to be here but regrettably could not be.
00:37Our Foreign Minister, Hon. Alva Baptiste, who wished to also be present and had been planning to attend this year's Political Council meeting, as he does each year, is also unavailable to participate
00:54and has requested that I convey his regrets to the government and people of Venezuela and our ALBA-TCP Political Council.
01:05It is, President, with profound pleasure that I address this August gathering of our 25th meeting of the ALBA-TCP Political Council in the beautiful city of Caracas,
01:22where our unforgettable Latin American Viking for the liberation of Venezuela, and indeed of so many other Latin American countries, General Simon Bolivar,
01:35walked these streets two centuries ago and engaged in the constant enlightenment of the Venezuelan people to fight against the colonization of Venezuela by Spain.
01:49And as a St. Lucia official, I never get tired of reminding our Venezuelan and other Latin American Caribbean comrades of the great pride of the people of St. Lucia
02:01Each time we remember that our valiant son, born in the small village of Deriso, Mico, Lt. Jebatis Bido, a soldier in General Bolivar's army, stood loyally and resolutely by General Bolivar's side
02:20in that unrelenting struggle against Spanish imperialism and colonialism.
02:26St. Lucians take particular pride in the unforgettable knowledge that Lt. Bido had the distinct honor of once saving the life of General Simon Bolivar
02:40at a particular moment in that endless campaign for the liberation of Venezuela, and thereby cementing forever that extra-special relationship between Venezuela and St. Lucia.
02:55This uniquely revolutionary relationship has withstood the trials and tribulations of many years of anti-imperialism and anti-colonial struggle,
03:07and today, as we take our Latin American and Caribbean liberation struggles to qualitatively new heights,
03:16St. Lucia is privileged to take our place amongst the countries that raise the flag of our unbreakable ALBA-TCP solidarity.
03:28Today's discussions aim to examine general initiatives and ideas, highlighting proposed strategies and activities in the pivotal sectors of our organization's Strategic Five-Year Action Plan towards the year 2030
03:45in our five agreed areas of action, namely economic, political, social, cultural, and communications.
03:56Very recently, my Prime Minister, Hon. Philippe J. Pierre, in a keynote address at the 16th edition of the Medias Forum in Morocco,
04:08laid out nine basic principles, which he referred to as his wish list for greatly enhanced international governance and a better quality of life for all on the planet.
04:21These principles, as articulated by the Prime Minister, all mesh with the objectives of our ALBA-TCP Strategic Agenda 2030.
04:35In the economic sphere, St. Lucia continues to focus on the several economic growth and development sectors, including the tourism sector,
04:46wherein St. Lucia has been blessed by nature with several comparative advantages.
04:52Thus, the St. Lucian economy continues to consolidate our strengths in this area of economic growth and development.
05:01More recently, as regards ALBA-TCP tourism growth and development initiatives, St. Lucia has been participating in the ALBA-TCP tourism fairs.
05:14One of the crucial economic principles observed by Prime Minister Pierre was, and I quote,
05:21the realization by the developed world that a more equitable share of world resources and a lesser gap between the rich and the poor is in everyone's best interest. Unquote.
05:34The Prime Minister continued, and I quote, a world economic and financial system that understands the vulnerability of microstates like St. Lucia
05:45and understands that the conventional means that measure economic activity are not adequate for the loan financing needs. Unquote.
05:56St. Lucia actively participates in all ALBA-TCP activities that seek progressive and relentless dismantling of imperialist and neo-colonialist structures and initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean,
06:13as we hold steadfastly to the principles that promote such progressive political action.
06:20Just last week, for example, during an activity at the local level, when the Cuban IK Brigade in St. Lucia was recommencing more active operations after a long post-COVID-19 hiatus
06:35in the benefit of thousands of needy citizens, Prime Minister Pierre took the opportunity to once again call for the discontinuation of the cruel and unjust economic, commercial, and financial blockade of Cuba.
06:50Permit me to again quote from the Prime Minister as follows, the world must commit to stronger joint cooperation and an end of the veto power in the United Nations Security Council where a majority of votes can be overcome by a single vote.
07:13This must be wrong.
07:15St. Lucia will continue to be an active participant in ALBA-TCP strategic alliances that aim to bring a constantly improved quality of life for our citizens,
07:26as ALBA-TCP member states continue to pursue joint activities resulting in improved standards of living, resolving existing impediments in housing, health care, education, disaster management, food security.
07:45These pursuits will mesh with the Prime Minister's wish, quote, that advanced economies pursue policies that improve the quality of life for the people, and in particular, those who live in poverty and give greater prominence to improved education, housing, energy, and food security for the 1.1 billion people who live in acute poverty.
08:11St. Lucia will participate actively in the various strategic and programmatic initiatives set out in our ALBA-TCP 2030 strategic plan.
08:22And another component of the Prime Minister's speech yet again coincides with that proposed collaborative course of action in our ALBA-TCP strategic planning and implementation.
08:37This particular item of the Prime Minister's Morocco pronouncements reads as follows, and I quote, that countries commit to continuous dialogue and pursue policies that do not promote discrimination on the basis of religion, race, creed, gender, and the digital divide, unquote.
09:01Actions under that principle will mesh with numerous initiatives under the rubric of deepening cultural and social relations among ALBA and TCP member states, contributing to the further enhancement of the integration in various spheres of human endeavor.
09:21St. Lucia will continue to be a very active player in all ALBA-TCP communications initiatives during the next five years of strategic planning and implementation activities, consequent with St. Lucia's clear priorities with a constant enhancement of a greater socialization of our community relations is concerned.
09:44In fact, at the very inception of Prime Minister Philip J.P.'s new government administration, the renewed appointment of an ambassador to ALBA-TCP and CELAC left no doubt in the minds of the regional community that the Prime Minister greatly values the continued and sustained integration aspirations of our community of Latin American and Caribbean states, CELAC,
10:11and the smaller but no less dynamic ALBA-TCP grouping. An active ALBA-TCP communications agenda is vital to the attainment of the dynamic levels of interaction that are necessary to make the ALBA-TCP integration entity the successful integration and solidarity mechanism it is meant to be.
10:35The Prime Minister also looks forward to freeing up billions of dollars presently wasted in unproductive military expenditure and to redeploy these resources to more productive uses.
10:50It is not military, but instead spending less on weapons and more on global growth and poverty reduction is what will make the world a safer place for all of us.
11:05President, I wish to express St. Lucia's solidarity with Cuba on the economic, commercial, and financial blocking, and Nicaragua and Venezuela on the continuing illegal and criminal sanctions.
11:23St. Lucia expresses solidarity with Cuba on the matter of the United States' state sponsors of terrorism hangover, and St. Lucia expresses solidarity with the people of Palestine. Long live the peoples of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Cuba. May the memories of Chavez and Castro never fade. Long live ALBA and TCP.
11:49And thank you, President Maduro, for your friendship to my country, and thank you for graciously hosting us these past two days. Thank you.