At the ALBA summit in Venezuela this weekend, President Hugo Chavez
announced the elaboration of an economic framework — called EcoAlba — for the
bloc, as well as the creation of a permanent secretariat, and two small
nations officially gained full membership in the trade and integration
agreement.
EcoAlba defines economic rules within the ALBA bloc, which “allows its
positioning on an international level.
EcoAlba will define issues such as “linking and complementarity of
production, coordination of economic policies, technical preparation for joint
projects at a proper educational institution, the organizational structure
necessary to allow continuity of the ALBA Economic Council, and the expansion
of the range of the Banco del ALBA and Sucre.
“EcoAlba is a political and geopolitical platform that allows to launch a
more ambitious economic project,” Chavez said during the opening speech of the
9th ALBA summit at the presidential palace in Caracas.
Discussions at the summit included an expansion of the Sucre currency
compensation system to include Ecuador, and an ALBA-Argentina agreement for
economic, scientific and technological cooperation. The ALBA bloc is supporting
Argentina’s claim for the Falkland Islands, known as Malvinas in Latin America,
against the United Kingdom.
Use of the Sucre trade compensation system expanded from six transactions
and a total of 10 million Sucre in 2010 — the year it was launched — to 431
transaction totaling 216 million Sucres in 2011.
Suriname and Santa Lucia formally joined ALBA during a ceremony Feb. 5, in
the presence of Prime Ministers Desire Delano Bouterse and Kenny Anthony. This
brings the total membership of the bloc to 11 nations.
Haitian President Michel Martelly was in Caracas to thank the ALBA members
for their support and announce Haiti’s “permanent observer” status in the bloc.
The ALBA summit passed a new work plan for Haiti, which includes health,
education, energy, food production, infrastructure and technical assistance.
Cuba, Venezuela and ALBA have played a crucial role in Haiti’s post-earthquake
reconstruction since 2010, providing relief services and investing hundreds of
millions of dollars in the country’s energy and healthcare infrastructure. A
Cuba-led program in Haiti provided 800,000 emergency surgeries and currently
operates 23 community hospitals, 30 rehabilitation rooms, nine health centers,
as well as an eye surgery program and a program to battle cholera.
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