First Meeting of ALBA-TCP Ministers and High-Level Authorities on Transportation established 10 agreements to boost regional economic growth

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Caracas, March 28, 2025 – The economic development of the member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) was the final topic of discussion this Friday during the First Meeting of ALBA-TCP Ministers and High-Level Authorities on Transportation. To achieve this objective, 10 agreements were approved […]

Caracas, March 28, 2025 – The economic development of the member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) was the final topic of discussion this Friday during the First Meeting of ALBA-TCP Ministers and High-Level Authorities on Transportation.

To achieve this objective, 10 agreements were approved in Venezuela as part of the commitments made during the bloc’s 12th Extraordinary Summit in February of this year.

The Executive Secretary of ALBA, Jorge Arreaza, outlined the following agreements:

  1. Providing updates on the status of bilateral air service agreements between the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Kitts and Nevis to facilitate interconnectivity among ALBA countries.
  • Sharing information on maritime transport cooperation agreements and mutual recognition of competency certificates to determine the Alliance’s operational scope in transportation.
  • Establishing continuous information exchange through direct contact between counterparts responsible for transportation sectors, ensuring the effective implementation of proposals.
  • Reviewing the implementation of the Fifth Freedom of the Air, in accordance with international civil aviation agreements.
  • Supporting technical teams in the tourism sector to simplify visa procedures and migration processes for transit passengers and tourists with interests within the Alliance.
  • Exploring strategic partnership proposals in air, maritime, land, and multimodal transport to optimize vessel maintenance and assess port and airport initiatives that enhance economic and commercial activity among ALBA nations.
  • Developing a comprehensive air and maritime transport agreement for ALBA, aligned with the transportation needs of member states.
  • Drafting a roadmap to implement technical-aeronautical personnel training programs through scholarship opportunities. In this regard, Venezuela is offering the Instituto Universitario de Aeronáutica Civil, among other institutions, for training.
  • Promoting the participation of women in port operations across ALBA-TCP countries, fostering dialogue, knowledge exchange, and efforts to combat gender discrimination in the sector.
  1. Designing an ALBA services catalog that outlines operational conditions in civil aviation, to be disseminated within the aeronautical community for evaluation.

Arreaza also noted that additional proposals from Venezuela’s Minister of Transportation, Ramón Velásquez Araguayán, will be considered. These include the creation of a multidisciplinary team to assess the capabilities and resources available for port and airport construction in ALBA member states, along with evaluations of each country’s needs in terms of human and material resources.