New York, September 26, 2024. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ Minister of Foreign Affairs, Frederick Stephenson, stated on Thursday that the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – People’s Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) has become a strong alternative for the unity and integration of Latin American and Caribbean nations.

During the 24th Meeting of the ALBA-TCP Political Council, held in New York in the context of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the diplomat highlighted that the “spirit of unity” embodied by the organization is reflected in the Jamaica Letter, which condenses the vision and liberation projects for Latin America.

“The principles of our great liberators are brought to life through our founding leaders, Hugo Chávez Frías and Fidel Castro, who in their infinite wisdom, established this alliance. In the joint declaration that created ALBA, our leaders affirmed that the cardinal principle guiding this bloc is the highest sense of solidarity between the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean,” Stephenson noted. He added that, 19 years after the founding of this organization on December 14, 2004, this vision remains as relevant as ever.

The Foreign Minister emphasized that, since its inception, ALBA-TCP has faced the hostile policies of hegemonic powers, which use economic and financial tools as weapons of war to try and maintain control over free and sovereign nations.

In this context, Stephenson condemned the imposition of unilateral coercive measures against Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.

“Indeed, there have been some setbacks, but our alliance continues to advance, grounded in international law and driven by the determination of our leaders to continue pursuing shared development goals for the benefit of our peoples,” he added.

Stephenson urged ALBA-TCP to continue fighting for sovereignty and independence, while strengthening ties with other multilateral organizations such as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC in Spanish), BRICS, the Southern Common Market (Mercosur in Spanish), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).