Newly-elected President of Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela will attend Association of Caribbean States next week

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad & Tobago – Fifteen heads of state and government have confirmed their attendance at the 5th summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the most recent confirmation

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad & Tobago – Fifteen heads of state and government have confirmed their attendance at the 5th summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the most recent confirmation coming from the newly-elected President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, His Excellency Nicolas Maduro.

This year’s summit will take place in Petion-Ville, Republic of Haiti, during the period April 23 to 26, 2013. The following fifteen heads of state and government have confirmed attendance at the 5th Summit of the ACS:

– President of Haiti, His Excellency Michel Martelly

– President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, His Excellency Nicolas Maduro

– Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, The Honorable Winston Baldwin Spencer

– Prime Minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, The Honorable Perry Christie

– Prime Minister of Belize, The Honorable Dean Oliver Barrow

– President of Colombia, His Excellency Juan Manuel Santos Calderon

– President of Costa Rica, Her Excellency Laura Chinchilla Miranda

– President of the Dominican Republic, His Excellency Danilo Medina Sanchez

– President of Guatemala, His Excellency Otto Perez Molina

– President of Honduras, His Excellency Porfirio Lobo Sosa

– President of Mexico, His Excellency Enrique Pena Nieto

– President of Panama, His Excellency Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal

– Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, The Honorable Denzil Douglas

– President of Suriname, His Excellency Desire Delano Bouterse

– President of Chile, His Excellency Sebastian Pinera (ACS Observer Country)

It has also been confirmed that six government ministers from the ACS Member States and Associate Member States will be representing their countries at this year’s summit. These include Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, El Salvador, France, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Among the Observer Countries who will be attending are South Korea, Finland, Argentina, Spain, and Serbia.

Secretary Generals from other regional organizations such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) will be in attendance as well as representatives from the Central American Integration System (SICA) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

At the official launch of the summit on Wednesday, April 3, 2013, President of the Republic of Haiti, His Excellency, Michel Martelly, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship, the Honorable Pierre Richard Casimir, both expressed that it is an honor to host the auspicious event, which bears certain historic significance for Haiti, as it is the country’s first time hosting an international summit.

Among the issues to be addressed at the 5th Summit of the Association of Caribbean States, themed: “Revitalizing the Vision of the Association of Caribbean States for a Stronger and More United Greater Caribbean,” are sustainable tourism, trade, air and maritime transport, and disaster risk reduction.

The association maintains that the summit intends to not only facilitate discussion, but aims to approve the Declaration of Haiti, a document on institutional transformation of the future of the ACS, as well as the Plan of Action, which seeks to strengthen the concerted and collaborative strategy for cooperation in the thrust for development of the Member and Associate Member States of the region.

Since its establishment, the ACS has organized four summits of heads of state and government, which took place in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in August 1995; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in April 1999; Margarita Island, Venezuela, in December 2001; and Panama City, Republic of Panama, in July 2005.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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