Dominican Republic, January 24 (RHC)– The meeting of foreign ministers of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) got underway Tuesday in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla is attending the important gathering, which follows that of the bloc's national coordinators, who worked on preparing the documents that will be submitted Wednesday for debate and approval by heads of state and government during the 5th CELAC Summit.

The documents address the issues of food security, migration, development, and drug trafficking. Also included are nuclear disarmament, gender issues and women progress, development financing, and the protection of indigenous languages.

The CELAC summit documents are also expected to include a demand for the U.S. to put an end to economic sanctions against Cuba, and to return to Cuban control of the territory occupied by the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo, on the eastern part of the island.

The heads of state attending the 5th CELAC Summit will adopt a political document, already referred to as the Punta Cana Declaration, a Plan of Action outlining the organization's projected activities and actions throughout 2017, as well as 19 special declarations, in addition to the transferring of the pro tempore presidency from the Dominican Republic to El Salvador.