Source:St Vincent Times
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) was elected to occupy the rotating presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in 2023.
Tuesday saw the transfer of the pro tempore presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) from Argentine President Alberto Fernández to Ralph Gonsalves, the Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, who assumed office for the years 2023–2024.
“First of all, let me express my gratitude for choosing me to serve as Celac’s pro tempore president in 2023. One of the smallest countries in this organization is St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and over the years, we have collaborated with Celac, “Gonsalves made his remarks at the conclusion of the plenary session of the organization’s VII Summit of Heads of State and Government in Buenos Aires.
He expressed his pride in his nation serving as the first president of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).
He noted that he would try to “capitalize on the wonderful work done by Mexico and Argentina,” the past two nations to preside over CELAC, and added, “We are going to work very closely with all the governments.”
Prior to speaking, Gonsalves met Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva, the president of Brazil, whom he referred to as “the great fighter,” and congratulated him for the Celac program.
For his part, Fernández congratulated Lula for “bringing Brazil back to Celac, where it should have always been.”
CELAC was started in 2011 as a way for countries in the region to work together and become more economically stable.