Trinidad PM urges respect for Cuba, Venezuela

(Trinidad Guardian) - Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley addressed the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles on Friday and expressed hope that respect and regard would be afforded to all states within the hemisphere, including Cuba and Venezuela.

“The path of exclusion and sanctions has not been effective in the past and has brought us no closer to the goal of an Americas which is equitable for the ordinary citizens of our hemisphere no matter where they live,” Rowley told leaders while speaking of the final day proceedings.

Rowley also pleaded for the Americas’ attention to Haiti and alluded to the war in Ukraine.

He said, “As the national leaders of countries and citizens in a hemisphere that has withstood the ravages of a global pandemic during the past 27 months, this 9th Summit of the Americas provides a platform of opportunity and promise that should not be missed.

“The theme of this Summit: Sustainability, Resilience and Equity, appropriately defines exactly what is required if the people of the Americas are to fully benefit from the political commitments that we will make here in Los Angeles.”

“In the amplified voices at Summit Forums,” he said, “the imperative of building a future that is democratically secure, clean and green, fair and free, inclusive and innovative, resilient and renewable, smart and sustainable, is clear and cannot be ignored.”

Rowley added, “After more than two years and counting of a costly, extraordinarily global, dangerous and infectious public health emergency, and most recently during the outbreak of unjustified state-on-state war, the interdependence of our lives and livelihoods across this hemisphere and beyond, has been fully unmasked. We must all play our part if we are to rise to the occasion, one that is fully anticipated and warranted.”