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Bolivia's President Evo Morales criticized Sunday the decision of Ecuador's government to leave the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America - Treaty of Commerce of the Peoples, known as ALBA-TCP.
For the Bolivian leader, this action "turns its back on the integration of the Great Homeland" while "betraying the decisions of its people."
"However, ALBA members will continue fighting for the sovereignty and unity of Latin America," he said through his Twitter account.
On Aug. 23, Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Jose Valencia announced the withdrawal of the country from the international body to "ratify the independence of Ecuador."
Meanwhile, In a communique published Friday, ALBA's Executive Secretary David Choquehuanca Cespedes said he respected Ecuador's "sovereign decision" but warned that such a move placed regional integration in severe jeopardy.
"Using the current political situation of the people of Venezuela and thus joining the efforts of some governments in the region to seek the exit of the government of President Nicolas Maduro makes clear the line that Quito has decided to take on these issues," Cespedes said.
In 2004, the then presidents of Venezuela and Cuba, Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro, met in Havana to found the regional integration body. In 2009 it was renamed ALBA-TCP in order to promote economic growth and solidarity among its dozen members.
Countries remaining active in the Bolivarian Alliance include Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, and Suriname.
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