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      Declaration of the XVIII Political Council of ALBA-TCP

      The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Heads of Delegations of the member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America –Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), meeting in Havana on the occasion of their XVIII Political Council;

      Inspired by the independence ideals of Simón Bolívar and José Martí, by the legacy of the leaders of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro Ruz and the Bolivarian Revolution of Venezuela Hugo Chávez Frías, whose thinking and works confirm the full validity of the struggle for the emancipation of the peoples, the necessity of preserving the peace, of civilized coexistence and of unity within diversity in the region;

      1. We express our concern about the aggressive escalation against Our America, the actions against peace and regional security, especially the threats to the use of force against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which constitute dangers for regional peace in opposition to the precepts contained in the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace signed by the Heads of State and/or Government at the Second CELAC Summit held in Havana. On the 28thand 29th of January of 2014.

      2. We emphasize the resistance of the Venezuelan Government and people against external interference and the unilateral coercive measures against their country.

      3. We renew our support for the Constitutional President Nicolas Maduro Moros, the Bolivarian and Chavist Revolution and the civilian-military union of his people.

      4. We reject the violation of the inviolability of the premises of diplomatic missions, in total violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

      5. We call for support for the Montevideo Mechanism initiative made up of Mexico, Uruguay, Bolivia and CARICOM which seeks to preserve the peace in Venezuela, based on the principles of non-intervention in domestic affairs, the sovereign equality of States and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

      6. We demand strict observance of the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations Charter and International Law, the peaceful settlement of disputes, the prohibition of the use of force and the threat of use of force, respect for self-determination, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the non-interference in the domestic affairs of States.

      7. We insist that the implementation of unilateral coercive measures, rejected by numerous resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, is contrary to the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of that organization and in International Law, violate the freedom of trade and navigation, threaten international peace and security and restrict the enjoyment of the human rights of the peoples of the States against whom they are implemented. 8. We ratify our support for the process of dialogue and negotiation of the Government of Reconciliation and National Unity of Nicaragua in its decision to continue defending its sovereignty, the peace, the notable social and economic advances, and the security and national unity attained.

      9. We reject the interventionist conduct of the Government of the United States which is once more using OAS and its Secretary General in its interventionist policy against the sovereignty, self-determination and constitutional order of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Republic of Nicaragua and the Republic of Cuba.

      10. We repudiate the Monroe Doctrine, the old reflection of the hegemonic and imperialist ambitions of the United States upon the lands and peoples of the Americas, which has been revived today and which poses the most serious and urgent threat to the peace of the hemisphere.

      11. We reiterate the claims of the international community to lift, unconditionally, the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba, which constitutes a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of the human rights of the Cuban people and whose extraterritorial nature affects all States.

      12. We reject the recent decision of the Government of the United States to activate Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, legislation that reinforces the extraterritorial nature of the blockade against Cuba and harms the international economic and trade relations of Cuba and the trade relations of the international community with Cuba.

      13. We welcome the approval of the new Constitution of the Republic of Cuba which expresses its revolutionary commitment, its solidarity and its integrationist conviction.

      14. We reaffirm the need of strengthening the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) as a mechanism for regional political coordination based on the strict observance and defense of the principles of International Law, including the peaceful settlement of disputes, prohibition of the use and the threat of the use of force, respect for self-determination, sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in the domestic affairs of States.

      15. We support the pro tempore presidency of the Plurinational State of Bolivia of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

      16. We reaffirm our committed support for the people and Government of Bolivia in their historic and just right to a seaport with sovereignty.

      17. We strongly reject the measures adopted against our sister countries in the Caribbean, considering them as non-cooperative jurisdictions, at the same time as we urge a review of the graduation criteria as “middle income countries”, a condition that makes it difficult for them to access loans and international cooperation.

      18. We reaffirm our ongoing support for the Caribbean countries in their claims for compensation and reparatory justice for the genocide of the native population and the horrors of the slave trade and chattel slavery.

      19. We reject the selective and politically motivated utilization of the human rights issue for the purpose of creating conditions to destabilize legitimate governments, justify interference in internal affairs and impose regime changing policies.

      20. We welcome the XXV Forum of Sao Paulo to be held on the 25th to the 28th of July of 2019, as an event that will contribute to the constant dialogue among the progressive political forces and the social movements of the region.

      21. We also welcome the Ministerial Meeting of the Coordination Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement, to be held in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, from the 20th to the 21st of July of 2019, under the theme “Promotion and consolidation of peace through respect of International Law”.

      22. We renew the commitment for political coordination, cooperation and integration, and for the defense of unity to confront political and economic interference and domination.

      Havana, 21 May 2019



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