PM Browne Receives Warm Welcome from Maduro at ALBA Summit

Prime Minister Gaston Browne is attending the ALBA summit in Caracas along with other leaders from the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America on Wednesday.

The alliance is made up of ten countries from Latin America and the Caribbean and aims to encourage solidarity and cooperation among its members.

During the opening of the summit, President Maduro of Venezuela emphasized the importance of advancing the integration of the Americas to promote the development of its peoples.

The ALBA bloc was established in 2004 as a response to the failed project of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) proposed by the United States, and it aims to encourage social, economic, and political cooperation among its members.

At the previous ALBA summit held in Havana in December 2022, member nations expressed solidarity in the face of external scrutiny and challenges.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned criticisms directed towards Ortega and other leaders during the summit.

The renewed focus on cooperation and solidarity among member nations in the current summit signals the alliance’s commitment to promoting the interests of its members and advancing regional integration.

The delegation from Antigua and Barbuda, which included Prime Minister Browne, Housing and Lands Minister Maria Browne, and Senior Foreign Service Officer Kurt Williams, joined other ALBA member countries such as Cuba, Dominica, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines at the summit.