Foreign Relations Minister Roberto Alvarez speaks to the press.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic--Foreign Relations Minister Roberto Alvarez announced that all is ready to receive the delegations coming for the 28th Ibero-American Summit this week.
He says that 14 presidents, two vice presidents, two prime ministers and 22 foreign ministers have confirmed their participation in the event set for Friday, March 24, to Saturday, March 25. The event will take place at the convention centre area of the Ministry of Foreign Relations headquarters on the Malecón of Santo Domingo.
The Ibero-American community is made up of Spain, Portugal and Andorra in Europe and Latin American Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries. These are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Álvarez explained that the agenda of the Summit actually begins today, Wednesday, March 22, and Thursday, March 23, with the Meeting of National Coordinators and Cooperation Officers. The event then continues on March 24 with the Meeting of Ibero-American Ministers of Foreign Relations and the opening ceremony of the Heads of Government and State Summit.
The theme for this year’s summit is: “Together for a fair and sustainable Ibero-America”, turning Santo Domingo this week into the capital of Ibero-America.
“We are ready to receive the delegations with the hospitality that characterises Dominicans [Dominicanos – Ed.] and with the expectations that the Dominican Republic will conclude its Pro Tempore Secretariat SPT of the Ibero-American Conference, and will hand over the torch to Ecuador, with great achievements and with a strengthened international positioning,” said Alvarez.
He highlighted that the face-to-face contacts of the presidents and the bilateral meetings are what the event is all about. “[The] opportunity to deal directly with urgent issues that concern two countries in particular is something important, and there is no substitute for the leaders seeing issues directly and being able to resolve situations that are still pending between the states,” he said.
President Luis Abinader will lead the discussions. During the event, three documents will be adopted:
* The Critical Path of Inclusive and Sustainable Food Security in Ibero-America, to guarantee the enjoyment of the right to food for all people;
* The Ibero-American Environmental Charter, which reflects the shared vision of the Ibero-American community in the face of the global challenges of climate change and the search for actions that guarantee sustainable development that respects nature; and
* The Ibero-American Charter of Principles and Rights in Digital Environments, which seeks, among other goals, to guarantee the exercise of fundamental rights and responsibilities in the construction of inclusive, fair, equitable and egalitarian digital societies. ~ DR1 ~
