The Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, said that the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will take place in his country on March 1.
In a message sent to the Venezuelan people and Government, on the 25th anniversary of the assumption of Commander Hugo Chávez (1954-2013) to the presidency and the beginning of the Revolution, Gonsalves informed that the meeting will continue the work initiated by Chávez and ‘comrade Fidel Castro.’
‘Going back to Simon Bolivar, for a deeper integration among our Latin American and Caribbean civilization,’ he underlined.
The head of Government pointed out that he was looking forward to March 1 to welcome Nicolas Maduro and the rest of the leaders of CELAC, made up of 33 countries of this important regional organization, in whose creation ‘Chavez played a decisive role along with others,’ he indicated.
On behalf of his people and Government, Gonsalves greeted his counterparts from the Bolivarian Republic on the 25th anniversary of the so-called eternal commander’s taking office, after his electoral victory a few months before.
He stressed that February 2, 1999, is engraved in our collective memory, because on that day, a new phase of integration began in Latin America and the Caribbean, ‘the beginning of the struggle for freedom and justice’ on behalf of the poor, the workers and the marginalized.
We salute the life and work of Hugo Chavez, but it is not only to our comrade but also to the entire Venezuelan people, to all Bolivarians, to all Latin America and the Caribbean, he stated.
Today is a day of joy and we are happy for it.
We are happy for this day, and I send my love to the Venezuelan people’, he said.
Gonsalves added, ‘We are working to make this hemisphere, this world, a better place for peace, security, prosperity, sustainable development for all and not just for a bunch of people in the rich countries.’
Not just for a handful of people wedded to monopoly capitalism and imperialism, but for all people on earth, he reaffirmed. (PL)
