"Solidarity is a fundamental principle of our integration," said Bolivian President Luis Arce Catacora.
La Paz, February 3 (RHC)-- During his speech at the extraordinary meeting of Heads of State and Government of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People's Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), Bolivian President Luis Arce Catacora emphasized the need to consolidate Latin American integration and criticized recent migration policies implemented by the United States.
Arce noted that the current historical situation imposes new challenges that require collective and coordinated responses. "Our America is in the sights of a superpower that intends to dictate, through force, the transition to another world order," said the Bolivian president, alluding to the growing pressure from Washington on the region.
One of the central themes of his speech was migration, which he described as a manifestation of the global crisis and inequalities. In this sense, he warned about the danger of its criminalization and advocated an approach based on respect for human rights. "Beyond international agreements, the real challenge lies in avoiding any attempt to criminalize migration. We must guarantee dignified treatment for each person on the move," he said.
The Bolivian president proposed that ALBA-TCP assume an active role in the multilateral scenario to promote the recognition of migration as a human right. He also denounced the recent episodes of mass deportations from the United States, describing the scenes of migrants handcuffed and chained as "outrageous." "They bring slavery back to life," he said.
Arce expressed his support for Cuba's protest against the US administration's announcement to turn the Guantanamo naval base into a detention center for migrants. "We join the protest of our Cuban brothers against this new affront to human rights," he stressed.
The Bolivian president also referred to the role of artificial intelligence in the region, highlighting the need for an organized approach to its development. "Artificial intelligence is not bad, but we must organize ourselves to give it proper use," he said, referring to the agreements reached at the XXIV ALBA-TCP Summit on emerging technologies.
In his final message, Arce highlighted the importance of solidarity as a fundamental principle of Latin American and Caribbean integration. "Our region, which has resisted looting, impositions and artificial borders created to divide the indivisible, has today the opportunity to demonstrate that unity is not a utopia," he concluded.
The extraordinary meeting of ALBA-TCP is taking place in a context of growing tension with the United States and with the objective of evaluating progress in economic, social and political spheres. Among the topics addressed are the revitalization of Petrocaribe, the strengthening of intraregional trade and the development of a Science and Technology Center for research in artificial intelligence.
The meeting also coincides with the 230th anniversary of the birth of the hero Antonio José de Sucre, remembered as a symbol of the independence struggle and of Latin American unity.
