Quito, January 27 (RHC)-- Cuban First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel paid tribute on Tueday to Ecuadorian hero Eloy Alfaro at his monument in the capital Quito.

Diaz-Canel stressed the historic bonds between Alfaro and Cuba and recalled that the leader of the Ecuadorian Liberal Revolution met Cuban independence fighter Antonio Maceo and National Hero Jose Marti.

The top Cuban government official is taking part at the 4th Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

Diaz-Canel backs a proposal by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa that the regional bloc, founded in 2010, replaces the Organization of American States (OAS) as the ideal scenario for Latin American and Caribbean nations to address their differences without having to do it in Washington.

He recalled statements by President Raul Castro that the CELAC is a crucial, necessary, unitary and diverse organization.

At the CELAC summit, which opens Wednesday at the venue of the Union of South American Nations, 15 kilometers north of Quito, Ecuador will pass to the Dominican Republic the protempore presidency of the bloc.

The forum is focusing on the consolidation of the 2020 agenda, adopted last year in Costa Rica, which is based on the eradication of extreme poverty and inequality, developing education, science and technology, cushioning the impact of climate change, enhancing infrastructure and financing development.