Plaza Bicentenario, Miraflores Palace, Caracas

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Well, there was no better way to welcome you, brothers from Latin America and the Caribbean, than with the golpe larense (Lara beat) from the West of the country, a fusion of the original rhythms of the indigenous peoples and our grandparents who came from Africa; it is the deep rhythm of Lara State. Let’s welcome the Teresa Carreño Latin American Instruments Orchestra!

Its director Israel Girón; also Jesús Bosque, with the song Latin American Fusion.

Thank you very much for inspiring us with that beautiful spirit of our culture, our identity, our song, which is a clamor and a voice at the same time, voice and rhythm of the peoples of our America, Latin America and the Caribbean. Welcome, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Heads of Delegation present: President Miguel Díaz-Canel of Cuba; President Luis Arce Catacora of the Plurinational State of Bolivia; President and Commander Daniel Ortega Saavedra of Nicaragua; Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of the Commonwealth of Dominica; Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda; Prime Minister Philip Joseph Pierre, of Saint Lucia; the minister, Head of delegation of our sister Grenada, Joseph Andall; Norgen Wilson, Head of delegation of Saint Kitts and Nevis; the Republic of Honduras, which is participating as a special guest, and its head of delegation, Ambassador Scarleth Romero Cantarero; to all of you, welcome.

Likewise, fellow presidents, prime ministers and head of delegations, we have a very special guests and a very special presence: leaders of social movements who participated in the Gathering for a World Social Alternative. Welcome!

From Brazil, the United States, Angola, Chile, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Argentina, Guatemala, Peru, Venezuela, from the global south, from our America and the global south, and from the north as well, completing a very important and wonderful agenda for our great movement. It was born on December 14, 2004, and this year we are about to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding by Commanders Fidel Castro Ruz and Hugo Chávez Frías, of our alliance, of our strength: ALBA. It was born as an alliance of governments and peoples in the face of neoliberalism, in that rising wave of progressive, nationalist, popular, revolutionary governments throughout Our America, and it was uniting governments and peoples throughout the years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, the work of our two commanders.

We were there supporting that initiative. And ALBA has proven its great capacity to be at the core of the truth, for the right of the peoples to development, independence, peace, democracy, freedom, sovereignty; in short, for the right to life, ALBA, which was born as an alternative to neo-liberalism, has become a great alliance for the life of our peoples. We have had a private meeting, I could say, one of the best meetings I have ever attended, with brilliant, lucid, wonderful interventions by Presidents, Prime Ministers, I was just telling you that we met in the Sol del Perú Hall, here in the Miraflores Presidential Palace. That Sol del Perú (Sun of Peru) Hall is a tribute to Bolivar, to Sucre, to Peru, it is the sun of Peru, the sun of Incas, because this year, as we remembered, it is not only the 20th anniversary of the birth of our alliance, this year is the 200th anniversary of the Campaign for the Liberation of Peru, and the Battles of Junín and Ayacucho, which were the definitive battles of the liberation of South America and Our America from the Spanish empire, the defeat of the Spanish imperial army after 300 years of genocide, massacre, colonialism, slavery and racism. Two hundred years.

And, our America, 200 years later, continues to be a rebellious America, rebellious, lucid, ready to fight, thirsty for justice and independence, and ready to conquer its new paths of happiness, prosperity, progress, as a region of independent and sovereign peace, today more than ever politically and culturally independent.

We have reviewed our agenda; we have also received the proposal from our Secretary General Jorge Arreaza, recently appointed Secretary General of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, comrade Jorge Arreaza. The General Secretariat team has done an extraordinary job of consultation, dialogue, conversations, direct communication country by country, President by President, Prime Minister by Prime Minister, of all the foreign ministries, to draw up an agenda updated to the times we are living in, and an agenda that will allow us to move together (governments, peoples, ALBA countries) towards higher goals in all fields, geopolitics, economy, finances, health, education, culture, telecommunications, food production, industrial development; with a unitary vision, moving from the simple idea of integration, which is important, as we discussed in the private meeting, the idea of integrating our countries based on concrete projects, to a higher goal, which is the original idea of the liberators, the idea of building the union of our region, the union of our peoples.

We were just talking these days, fellow presidents, what we achieved in this great moment of ALBA, in the great moment of Petrocaribe, to take the great historic step after 200 years and found CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, here are several of its founders: the revolutionary Commander Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua, founder of CELAC, good memories of the Mexico Summit, the Caracas Summit, the Santiago de Chile Summit, the Cuba Summit in Havana; there are several founding Prime Ministers here, Roosevelt Skerrit, Ralph Gonsalves, I humbly participated, comrade Arce, as Foreign Minister for Commander Chávez and I learned a lot from you, the founders, and I always thought that what I believe should be a great goal today, and the Republic of Honduras, which today is president of CELAC, is a special presence, is to move forward in strengthening our Community of Latin American and Caribbean States as a great short- and medium-term goal, but to raise the dream of the liberators that someday we may have the strength, the capacity, the will, the political independence to move from a powerful Community of Latin American and Caribbean States to a confederation of peoples, states, governments of Latin America and the Caribbean, a new CELAC where Puerto Rico is also present, where Puerto Rico comes as we do, as a new free, sovereign, independent State, free Puerto Rico.

Let us never forget that it is a pending agenda of the liberators of America, Bolivar, San Martin, Sucre, Morazán, Jose Marti, the absolute independence of Puerto Rico, no to colonialism in Puerto Rico, no to domination, no to slavery, these are dreams coming true based on an intense battle of ideas, a cultural battle, based on a battle of the people. With the people we are everything, without the people, we are nothing.

So we have had this conversation in private and we have received something wonderful, fellow prime ministers, fellow presidents, fellow heads of delegation, fellow heads of delegation, social movements, ALBA has to be government, countries, but especially peoples, mobilized social movements in the streets with flags of struggle.

We have received an extraordinary proposal with seven main areas we have called the 2030 ALBA Agenda, the major goals for the short term, the medium term 2030 and beyond. It is a fairly complete agenda, colleagues, and we have already made progress in the discussion of some of its elements. Today there is a starting document for this 2030 Agenda to be studied, discussed and hopefully approved as a guide, as a roadmap by our governments, countries and peoples, and this action Agenda has seven main elements: First, the creation of an ALBA-TCP cooperation and development agency to develop a global multilateral offensive to attract funds in the world for comprehensive development projects in our countries, a new initiative, and I am sure that if we approve it, it will be successful.

Second, study and approve the plan that has been drafted to re-launch Petrocaribe in the new stage, after the missile bombardment of sanctions from the United States that attempted to destroy Petrocaribe, stopped it but did not destroy it, Petrocaribe recovers, will be re-launched and will come back.

Third, the approval of the ALBA-Alimentos Plan to continue working on the need for our countries to be self-sufficient in food production, organic seeds, sufficient organic seeds for planting on our lands and joint plans; non-polluting fertilizers that do not poison the soil or human beings; the agricultural machinery and the scientific and technical uses to improve the productive capacities of our peoples; the financing for production and the marketing of products; it is a great challenge, the food sector, which is vital for the independence of our countries, for stability and for the happiness of our peoples.

Fourth, in short, President Arce, I refer to Bolivia, which was the promoter of the Peoples’ Trade Treaty, to successfully conclude and sign and definitively adopt the Peoples’ Trade Treaty to consolidate the ALBA countries as a zone of fair trade and economic complementarity, taking into account asymmetries, respecting them, respecting the levels of development of each country as only ALBA can do, as Díaz-Canel, President of Cuba, said, only ALBA can achieve the miracle of balance, of respect; here there are no big or small countries, here there are no countries that want to conquer or dominate one or the other, here we are all the same, in ALBA we are brothers.

And in that sense, we can develop a new ethic for trade, investment and economic development, a new ethic and demonstrate that this new ethic has practical implementation and successful results.

Fifth, a special scientific program of shared scientific, cultural and communicational, academic development; and they are suggesting a wonderful idea for the integration of university knowledge, science and technology, after having achieved the miracles of the “Yes I Can” literacy method in the ALBA region, and many other educational miracles, which would be the foundation of the University of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our America.

The University of the ALBA Peoples: a motivating and empowering project.

Sixth, re-launch the ALBA-Salud Plan with all its implications for the training of doctors, nurses, and so on, for the provision of primary and family health services to our peoples in our neighborhoods and communities.

And seventh, the 2030 ALBA Agenda, to move forward with the creation of an ALBA agency to mitigate the impacts of climate change and the climate emergency we are already suffering from. Many of the prime ministers were shocked by the hot weather in Caracas, we are holding this summit this afternoon with 34 degrees Celsius in the shade, never before in Caracas, comrade Commander Daniel, Díaz-Canel, Pierre, Gaston, at least 5 degrees more, as proven in all the cities and towns of Venezuela, and I am sure that this is the case in our entire region. It is no longer only climate change caused by greedy capitalism and the destructive development model; it is already a climate emergency, as warned by that prophet in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Fidel Castro Ruz, or that prophet in Copenhagen 2009, Hugo Chávez Frías.

So this 2030 ALBA Agenda is an integrating, unifying, motivating agenda, today the world is moving in the midst of a great civilization change, there is a great change in geopolitics and human civilization. They go together, one influences the other, the change in geopolitics is the change in world power, power changes, a new world emerges, a pluripolar, multicentric world, new emerging powers bringing the breath of centuries, even millennia already in their creative force; the BRICS emerge as a great integrating group of the diversity of continents and regions, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and now other countries are joining them. And the BRICS are tending to consolidate in terms of quality and quantity as well. The BRICS already have a huge population and almost 40% of the gross domestic product, and the emerging countries with the greatest commercial and financial power.

There is a rapid movement in geopolitics in world power and great threats, but there are also great civilization changes in the world’s conscience, new values are emerging in a world that is being born, in a new international order, and ALBA is already connected with the new world, with the new power and with that new civilization, I have no doubts, indeed, I believe that ALBA can take on, assume itself as part of the founding countries and regions of the new world that is being born, of the new international, multipolar, pluricentric order.

Let us be conscious of where we are, who we are, where we come from, as well as of the strength that we gather here from the people.

One hundred years ago fascism and Nazism emerged, one hundred years later neo-fascism is re-emerging from capitalism and from extreme right-wing positions, fascism again, we should analyze the phenomenon, Secretary General, fellow presidents, fellow prime ministers, heads of delegations, social movements, Joao Pedro Stedile, Manolo de los Santos, we should study the phenomenon of the rise of fascism one hundred years ago, similarities and differences with this historical period, Ramón Grosfoguel, professor at the University of California, United States, proudly Puerto Rican, geopolitical researcher, we should study the similarities and differences. And I want to share this with the people of Venezuela who are watching us right now, and with the people of Latin America and the Caribbean and beyond who are watching us through Telesur, in Spanish, in English, in Portuguese, in French, in Chinese, in all languages, Telesur, and beyond, television channels, radio stations, social networks of the world of all ALBA member countries.

In view of the crisis of the imperial hegemony of the United States and the West, the card they are playing is war, extremism, fascism, the new colonialism. If not, let us see Milei in Argentina, it is the new colonialism, if we can call it “new” colonialism, because in the end it is the old plundering, pillaging, enslaving monster of the peoples.

Argentina took to the streets yesterday, a million men and women took to the streets to say no to fascism, no to the sale of the country, no to the destruction of public education, no to the destruction of social rights.

The right wing in all our countries summons Milei as if he were the new God, the very God.

I just remember Maradona. Comrades, today I brought this watch, I want to show it to you, Daniel, it is a good moment, this Hublot watch, Diego Armando Maradona wore it, Díaz Canel, he gave it to me on Thursday, May 17, 2018, at the closing of the election campaign, and he told me: “Nicolás, I give you my watch from the Maradona collection, so when you wear it, you will know that I will always be with you”.

And it is the day, from here from ALBA to say: Maradona is with us with his strength.

We are confident that the Argentine people and its historical forces to defend its project of country, to defend the independence of its country, to confront the new fascism, to confront this colonial model that they want to impose on it, to drag it to the U.S. empire and to Zionism.

So the rise of fascism and new forms of colonialism is a big issue, and we are not exaggerating, you just have to see it there.

Likewise, the case of Palestine is not a war, it is a genocide, and the humanist position, and excuse me some of you, deeply Christian position of solidarity, accompaniment and love for the kind people of Palestine.

Palestine lives, Palestine fights and Palestine will prevail into the future.

Major problems such as Haiti and the need to build a model, brothers and sisters, from ALBA to accompany Haiti, to support Haiti in the recovery of its democracy, in the construction of its internal peace and its stability. It is not with military or police force operations that democracy, freedom, peace and social recovery will come to Haiti. No! 100 years of military operations, 100 years of massacre against the people of Haiti, 100 years of dictatorship, 100 years of interventionism, and there you have the result. Let us help Haiti, it is a debt we owe, let us help Haiti to rebuild peace, coexistence and the comprehensive recovery of our sister Republic of Haiti.

So I would like, in a very special way, on behalf of all the noble, beautiful and beloved people of Venezuela, to welcome the member countries and governments of ALBA and the social movements, and to welcome you to this 23rd Summit in the 20th year of the Bolivarian Alliance of the Peoples of Our America.

Let us now listen to the speeches and proposals based on the documents provided by the participating delegations.

If I may, we did not have lunch, we had breakfast at 8 am.

I think we can use an interactive method of talking, debating and having lunch. Agreed? Raise your hand if you don’t agree… it’s approved! The President of the Socialist Republic of Cuba, comrade Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, has the floor.

We are invincible together. And along with women, we are even more invincible. Cuba, the always rebellious, revolutionary, historical, inspiring Cuba, from here we want to send very special regards to the General of Armies, Raúl Castro Ruz.

From ALBA we send our compliments, our admiration and recognition to all the people of Cuba, brother Cuban people who are creatively resisting the intensification of the most criminal siege, of the most criminal aggression ever known in the last millennia. But Cuba is firm, standing, fighting, resisting and we will get better together.

Now I would like to give the floor to comrade President Luis Arce Catacora, President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Welcome, comrade.

Well, I have asked the ALBA Secretary General. You are the ALBA Secretary General. Sure, you have a nice face, Secretary General. Not like Luis Almagro’s horrible face; the horrible soul of Luis Almagro, the horrible behavior of Luis Almagro.

Secretary General, please take note of the proposals because many of them are already included in the main document, but I would like us to vote on some of them; those made by President Diaz-Canel, those made by President Lucho Arce Catacora. And now, it comes the Eastern Caribbean.

We are going to give the floor to our brother, comrade, founder of ALBA and CELAC, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit. Welcome!

Amen, amen, amen. Well, I am very grateful for the kind words of this young, but already strong and experienced leader of the Caribbean and the Commonwealth of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit. And all the strength of 20 years, ALBA seeking practical solutions to matters like energy, food, health, education, science and technology. And with all that experience, 2030 Agenda, from now on, to coordinate the 2030 ALBA Agenda with the 2030 UN Agenda, in order to move forward. And please believe and trust that the Venezuelan people will transcend history and will prevail.

Now, we are going to give the floor to a great ALBA comrade. Today is his wedding anniversary and his wife’s birthday.  Gaston Browne, Antigua and Barbuda, comrade.

Thank you very much, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne.

Indeed, this private meeting is necessary and must be regular, even this type of contact is essential to be frequent, because we can share at first hand the deep and personal perspective of each one of the leaders of our countries, beyond the beyond, it is very important. That is why we have to strengthen the air connectivity between our countries, the intra-ALBA connectivity, it is part of the priority agenda that we presidents, prime ministers, have to tackle, the simplified and committed air interconnectivity, it is vital, for example, for the summit to be held in Antigua and Barbuda in May, we must provide all the support to the air connectivity in order to make this summit of the small island countries affected as never before by the climate emergency that the planet Earth is experiencing, a total success. Thank you very much fellow Gaston Browne. Congratulations and blessings. And now we are going to give the floor to the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, comrade Philip Joseph Pierre.

Well, we are ready with Conviasa airline, Mr. Foreign Minister Yván Gil, Mr. Secretary General Jorge Arreaza, Deputy Foreign Minister Raúl Li, we have to make plans for the air connectivity; and Minister Velázquez Araguayán, Minister of Transportation is now informing me here – by phone – I am permanently online here Pierre, this phone was a present from Xi Jinping on my last trip to China, a Huawei, and it is very good because I can work from here. You were talking and I texted the Minister of Transportation; his name is Velázquez Araguayán, and he answered me everything here. Done! We have to solve some logistical aspects to make the interconnectivity Caracas-Havana, Caracas-Managua, Caracas-Saint Vincent, Barbados, Bolivia-Saint Lucia, and so on, already permanent. We have to make it happen, it is ready, it has been discussed, it has been planned, and it has been studied. Además son rutas comercialmente buenas, exitosas, todas. Besides, they are all very commercial, successful routes. In fact, there is more, there are five times more demand than the service capacity still available, so it is also a good business, it is a good deal and it is a good business. So let us work on air connectivity. This is a key element for everything else to move forward.

Now, from Central America, from the land of Benjamin Zeledon, Augusto Cesar Sandino, Carlos Fonseca Amador, Tomas Borge, le’s listen to Commander of the Sandinista Revolution, Daniel Ortega Saavedra, president of Nicaragua. Welcome to the land of Bolivar and Chavez.

Let’s give a big hand to the Commander of the Sandinista Revolution, President of the Republic of Nicaragua, direct heir of Julio César Sandino and Carlos Fonseca Amador.

Our compliments from here to the Vice President, comrade Rosario, we are always in touch, Rosario, via telepathy, we always know what has to be done at every moment and in every battle. Thank you, dear President Commander.

And from commander to commander, we now go to the Eastern Caribbean to give the floor to Commander Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Thank you very much; thank you very much to this source of ancient wisdom from Commander Ralph Gonsalves, commander of the Eastern Caribbean troops. Of course, we can do it and we have to do it. In order to build PDVSA’s new independence, we have had to build its technological and maritime independence, because that is what imperialism hit to destroy Petrocaribe. And the peoples of the Caribbean should know that it was imperialism that fired the missiles of sanctions against Petrocaribe, but we will be back, we are coming back, and Petrocaribe will be again the success it was yesterday, be sure of that, and now it will be much more with petrochemicals, fertilizers, gas, investments.

And we have to have the ALBA shipping line, of course, we have to have it, join the effort Nicaragua, Cuba, the Caribbean, Venezuela, a shipping line for intra-ALBA trade, that is part of the concrete actions of the Peoples’ Trade Treaty for fair trade, go beyond the general statement, go beyond bureaucracy, as Rafael Correa liked to say or likes to say, go beyond “the cocktail diplomacy”. That is what he used to say, right? From cocktail meetings, from cocktail diplomacy; go to the diplomacy of transforming action, creating new conditions for our people.

Ralph said it right now with his ancestral wisdom, when the extremist right wing of Venezuela asked the “TIAR”, the Lima Group, together with the United States, to prepare troops to invade Venezuela, they raised the topic at the OAS, and we had already freed ourselves from the OAS, we had withdrawn from that. And who stopped the decision to invade Venezuela, requested by the Venezuelan opposition right wing, was ALBA, the peoples of the Caribbean, the peoples of Central America, the worthy governments represented there at the time. It is the truth.

It was one of the great victories we had to stop the madness of the military invasion of Venezuela. And the people of Venezuela have not forgotten that, not only the economic sanctions, the sanctions against the business community, against the workers, the sanctions; as you know, they forced Venezuela from having an annual income of 54 billion dollars a year, to 700 million dollars a year later.

And today, even today, we are moving at a sure, progressive pace of our own recovery, but even today we barely have an income of more than ten percent of what Venezuela had. However, we have learned to do a lot with nothing, a lot with little.

There were almost 20 governments. In Brazil, Bolsonaro’s fascism threatening to invade Venezuela from the South. From Colombia, the paramilitary drug trafficker and neo-fascist Iván Duque, threatening to attack us. Upon whose request? From what we say in Venezuela, I do not know how the translation will be, from the oligarchy of the last names.

But rest assured, brother Presidents, Prime Ministers, social movements of the world, peoples of the world, that this people is getting ready to fight, to teach a historical lesson to that fascist right wing, to that imperialist right wing, to that war-mongering right wing, which called for the invasion of Venezuela and which called for sanctions, you can be absolutely sure of that. You will see it, these eyes will see it, in the name of God, Almighty Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Bolivar, and Sucre, and Tupac Katari, and our heroes, heroines. You will see it.

We said in the private meeting and each one of our fellow presidents and prime ministers have affirmed that there is a resurgence of fascism one hundred years later. And I call for this debate, comrade Díaz-Canel, comrade Daniel Ortega, Arce, Ralph, comrades, let us have this debate in our countries.

Secretary General, Mr. Jorge Arreaza, we are going to promote this debate, World Social Gathering, social movements, just as we promoted in the eighties, Joao Pedro, and in the nineties, the debate and the street fight against neoliberalism, against the FTAA, in the same way, using the middle road, let us promote the debate and the street fight against neo-fascism, against fascism, against Zionism, and against all forms of extreme right wing that want to colonize again Latin America and the Caribbean. Because, what is Milei doing in Argentina? He’s handing it over as a colony. There is an audio, you have seen it, an interview with the President of the United States, Joe Biden, I did not bring it to show it to you, where a journalist from a radio station asks President Biden about Mr. Milei, and he says: It is something strange, he is giving us a military base against nothing, he is giving us all the natural resources against nothing, he is giving us all of Argentina against nothing to the United States. It is something suspicious said Biden, just like that, trying to make a joke, it is neo-fascism. And in Brazil, Bolsonaro, supported by whom? Because, sometimes, the Latin American progressive movements tend to doubt; the so-called progressive movements. We go beyond progress movements; we are revolutionaries, anti-imperialists, Bolivarian, socialists, and the peoples know who we are in our countries and in the continent. Sometimes they are fooled into believing that imperialism can favor social and economic changes in the continent.

We hold a negotiation with Americans, we have signed documents, and do you believe that they met their obligations? I have the documents; I did not bring them here today. You would have had a copy. There it is written, signed, not even a comma did they comply! Not a single word.

That is why I stated in recent days, I said it as a peaceful man that I am, as a people of peace, that I believe in diplomacy, I believe in words, we are warriors, street fighters, on foot, but we are also honest people, people of diplomacy, we learned it from Bolivar, from Sucre, I told it yesterday to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court who was here, in a long conversation I had with him. International Humanitarian Law was born here in Trujillo State, on November 21 and 22, 1820, with the signing of the Armistice Treaty and the cease of fire with the Spanish army, recognition of the then Republic of Venezuela presided by Bolivar and the agreement called Regularization of the War. We have a past of deep diplomacy in America, in our America and it is Bolivarian. And I also learned it from a teacher, Hugo Chavez Frías, who turned me from a bus driver representative into Foreign Minister, and there I met you, there I learned the value of words, understanding, negotiation, agreement, and the value of honoring what is spoken and what is signed.

Imperialism has simply deployed its deceitful diplomacy, we always knew what they intended in every negotiation, Díaz-Canel, we discovered a conspiracy, five conspiracies last year! Two of them to attempt to kill me, they are convicted and self-confessed, the evidence has been shown and you have seen the evidence of the criminal assassins confessing the plans, how they were trained in Colombia, how they were financed in Colombia, the CIA bases, the FBI bases, the Colombian DEA bases directing all the conspiracies against Venezuela.

Have you seen anything on the radio, on television, in the press in your countries about this? Have you seen anything on the social networks? No. They keep silent about it, complicit silence. This year we have dismantled four conspiracies, two of them also to kill me, who is behind them? It was imperialism. Who is behind it? It was the extremist right wing.

That is why I have told our people, Cuba, remembering the immense Cuban Latin American Argentinean, Ernesto Che Guevara, a phrase that I do not know if it has a translation, I am going to say it in Spanish and the translators will find the right expression, but Ernesto Che Guevara once said in a speech to the Cuban working class, right? He said: You can’t believe US imperialism, not even a little bit like that, not even a little bit like that, quoting Cantinflas at the time, not even a little bit; it was his very own expression.

So we have to continue on this path, our path. Latin America and the Caribbean do have options, they do have an alternative, they do, and the alternative for our peoples is the path of independence, sovereignty and socialism, the ALBA alternative, so let us strengthen ALBA with much love, with much passion, let us continue to unite our peoples.

There are still three fellow representatives of three governments, two of them from ALBA and another one a friend of ALBA. I would like to give them, as head of delegation, the floor to greet them, and to move on immediately to approve the fundamental documents that have been discussed, negotiated and approved by the delegations.

He is Grenada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Export Development, Joseph Andall.

Well, we are now going to give the floor for a greeting to the Head of the delegation of St. Kitts and Nevis, Norgen Wilson. Welcome.

Thank you very much, and now, let’s receive a very special greeting from Honduras, with the Head of the delegation specially invited to this 23rd summit, Ambassador Scarleth Ivette Romero Cantarero. Welcome, Ambassador.

I remember the visit of the presidents to Campo de Carabobo, because it was another anniversary of the victory of Bolivar in Carabobo, of the liberating army. And then we had the summit in Maracay, Aragua State, in the center of the country, and there we denounced the coup in progress, 4 days later, a coup took place in Tegucigalpa, they kidnapped President Mel Zelaya, they shot him to death, he was saved by the hand of God too, they threw him on the runway, they tied him up and threw him on the runway in his pajamas, there in San José of Costa Rica. And half an hour later an ALBA plane arrived, with Deputy Foreign Minister Francisco Javier Arias Cárdenas, we rescued him and the battle of resistance of the people and ALBA began and time has passed and here is Honduras, Honduras of the resistance… Honduras of Morazán.

From here we send a very, very, very special message and a fraternal embrace to President Xiomara Castro and comrade Mel Zelaya.

And here we have the three main documents, there is no hammer here to vote and the cup can be broken, I thank all the delegations of Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Honduras, Dominica, and we here from Venezuela thank you for this 23rd Summit, at a very important moment of Bolivarian counter-offensive, of anti-imperialist counter-offensive for Venezuela, for our people and for the peoples of Our America.

We have three conceptual, doctrinal and action documents and I am going to submit them officially for your consideration. The first one, declaration of the 23rd Summit of Heads of State and Government of ALBA TCP, towards the 20th anniversary of the founding of ALBA, 22 proposals, those governments that are considering approving the declaration of this 23rd Summit, please do so with the usual gesture.

The Declaration of the 23rd Summit approved!

Second, there is a proposed 2030 strategic agenda for ALBA-TCP; I would call it 2030 ALBA Agenda. We have been discussing its main fundamental lines in private, we present them to the public and I think they summarize to a large extent what we should be looking for in terms of moving along this 20-year path, towards 2030, according to the document.

2030 ALBA Agenda – future TCP approved!

Likewise, there is a special communiqué on the situation in Palestine, where the heads of state and heads of government, first: We demand a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, through dialogue based on the creation of two States, allowing Palestine to exercise the right to self-determination, as an independent and sovereign State, with East Jerusalem as its capital within the pre-1967 borders and guaranteeing the right of return of the refugees; second: We reiterate the call to the International Community to impose an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to stop the genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity against its people, which violate the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter, international law and international humanitarian law, third: We reaffirm our support for the immediate membership of Palestine in the United Nations, a just and necessary step that will contribute to the protection of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people; fourth: We urge that the Israeli government and its supporters be held accountable for the crimes perpetrated against the Palestinian people in accordance with international law, and fifth: To extend a special invitation to Palestine to participate in the Summit to celebrate 20 years of ALBA.

Special communiqué on Palestine approved!

ALBA is at the forefront of world changes, of the necessary changes, of the pluripolar, pluricentric world that is being born, coordinating with that world, in the only way it can be coordinated, which is by supporting the just causes of the peoples, fighting for peace, fighting for equality, fighting for respect for the independence, sovereignty, sovereignty of our states and our countries, fighting against criminal sanctions, blockade, threats, political, diplomatic, economic aggressions, or any form of economic warfare imposed to our countries, to our peoples and fighting against fascism, it is our flag.

Just as we have become an alternative to neoliberalism, ALBA today raises the flag to be an alternative against the extreme right and fascism in our America and in the world.

I am very grateful to the government delegations, social movements, and we are going to end with an Afro-Venezuelan drum and joropo, Afrojoropo. Thank you very much!

¡Hasta la victoria siempre!

Afrojoropo!

Thank you very much, brothers and sisters.