San Jose, January 28 (PL-RHC),-- The Third Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) began Wednesday morning with an eye on integration and the fight against poverty.

Under the theme 'Building Together,' the summit hosts the presidents of the regional bloc comprising 33 nations of America -- all but the United States and Canada.

On Tuesday, the Sixth Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs was held in San José. During the gathering, foreign ministers of CELAC countries prepared the Special Projects Disclosures, the Political Declaration and Plan of Action of the 2015 CELAC, which will be discussed and approved by the presidents.

During the opening of the ministerial meeting, Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel González stressed that this coordination mechanism established in 2011 in Caracas, Venezuela, has given multiple fruits during its short existence, contributing to opening a frank dialogue among its members. CELAC is a space for conversation in trust, addressing common problems and share positive experiences, he said.

“The countries of CELAC call on President Obama to continue the administrative measures that he is pursuing so that there is a prompt normalization of relations between the U.S. and Cuba,” Costa Rica's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alejandro Solano told reporters Tuesday in San José.

The first Summit took place in the city of Santiago de Chile in January 2013, while Havana was the scene of the second in 2014.

On January 29th -- the last day of the gathering -- Costa Rica will deliver to Ecuador the pro tempore presidency of the bloc, which will be held by the South American nation until January 2016.