Photo: @petrogustavo

Havana, Aug 8 (RHC) Colombian head of state Gustavo Petro proposed Tuesday the creation of a regional military alliance to defend the Amazon rainforest and a court of environmental justice, in the framework of the IV Amazon Summit being held in Belém do Pará, Brazil.

"We should create an Amazon NATO, a military cooperation treaty to interdict what goes against the Amazon rainforest in all our countries, obviously respecting our sovereignty or coordinating the force," said the president.

Petro presented the proposal of a military and judicial treaty in view of the increase of illegalities and "crime against humanity", while he pointed out that life "is defended with reasons, but also with weapons".

At the same time, the Colombian dignitary indicated that a meeting of defense ministers of the region will take place in the coming weeks, in which the proposal could be defined.

Petro proposed to create a court of Amazonian environmental justice to "judge crimes against the Amazon, recognizing the rights to the Amazon rainforest".

This Tuesday, under the leadership of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the work of the IV Amazon Summit began.

The heads of state and government of the signatory countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), created in 1995 and formed by Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela, are taking part in the meeting. (Source: TeleSur)