Quito, January 26 (teleSUR-RHC)-- During his weekly television address to the country, President of Ecuador Rafael Correa announced that his government is ready to assume the presidency position over the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) later this month, and that he will push for major proposals which include reduction of poverty in the region.

The 33-member regional coalition is scheduled to hold its third summit meeting on January 28th and 29th in Costa Rica, where Ecuador will receive the bloc’s yearly rotating pro-tempore position. The official summit will be preceded by a meeting of the foreign ministers of member countries.

During his remarks on Saturday, Correa vowed to propose quantifiable objectives for the regional integration bloc, which will include goals in the area of poverty reduction and innovation in the area of science and technology.