Havana, January 29 (RHC) -- Leaders of member nations of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) have strongly condemned the U.S. economic blockade against Cuba during the 3rd Summit of that bloc in Costa Rica.

Speaking Wednesday at the CELAC meeting, the regional leaders unanimously celebrated efforts led by the Cuban and U.S. governments to engage in meaningful dialogue to re-establish diplomatic relations, while also rejecting the economic blockade that still weighs on the island.

The president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro commended the "bold step" taken by U.S. Pesident Barack Obama in relation to Cuba.

For her part, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff urged to "overcome" the blockade against Cuba, while Bolivia's Evo Morales and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega equally decried the U.S. interventionist measure.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos welcomed Cuba's announced participation at the upcoming Summit of the Americas in April in Panama, a development he described as "historic."

"Almost three years ago, when Colombia hosted the Sixth Summit of the Americas, I referred to the Cuban issue with the following words: Isolation, the blockade and indifference have proved ineffective. In today's world, such a path is not justified. It is an anachronism that keeps us anchored to the era of the Cold War."