During the Assembly of the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament, Santana noted that the legislatures from Cuba and Panama are in a better position to expand cooperation and mutual assistance

Havana, Dec 5 (RHC) The Cuban deputy Arelys Santana emphasized the potential for collaboration with Panama by participating in the 38th Ordinary and Commemorative Assembly of the Parlatino, which is concluding its sessions today.

According to the president of the Committee on Youth, Children and Women's Equality Rights in Cuba’s National Assembly, the event celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (Parlatino) evidenced respect for its member countries. The region also showed interest in issues such as the joint struggle for peace, integration, and the development of peoples.

Santana, who also heads the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Panama in the Caribbean nation, noted that both legislatures and peoples are in a better position to expand cooperation and mutual assistance.

The Cuban delegation to the Parlatino forum, which began on Wednesday, also includes deputies Luis Velázquez, president of the Cuban Academy of Sciences and head of the Parlatino Health commission; and Miguel Charbonet, vice president of the Education, Culture, Science, Technology, and Communication Commission of the regional Legislature.

The 38th Assembly of Parlatino, which will elect its new authorities for the 2024-2026 term this Thursday, included a keynote speech by the president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, in her capacity as the interim president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

In her address, Castro reiterated the importance of integration and called for an end to the blockades and unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States against countries in the region, such as Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. She stated that these policies violate international rights.

On the other hand, she reflected on the crisis in Haiti, which, she pointed out, is a reflection of the failure of neoliberal policies and foreign interference in the region.

In this regard, the Honduran head of state proposed the idea that the member countries of the bloc reach consensus on the creation of a regional emergency fund where all nations commit to contribute to and address the humanitarian crisis.

She also recalled that Latin America and the Caribbean are a region of peace, and condemned the genocide of the Zionist forces of Israel against the Palestinian people. She also called for peace in Lebanon and in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. (Source: Prensa Latina)