Venezuela Proposes a General Secretariat for Celac

Addressing the VI Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro reiterated the need to set up a "powerful" bloc's General Secretariat to promote the region's multilateralism, integration, and cooperation.

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"I propose the constitution of CELAC General Secretariat with sufficient power to take the reins of the construction of what is the dream of Latin American and Caribbean integration," President Maduro said.

The Bolivarian President vowed for the resumption activities by Ministers Councils on economic, social, and political issues to address the proposals on trade integration and economic development.

President Maduro took also the opportunity to thank the Mexican government for supporting political talks between representatives of the opposition sectors and the Venezuelan government in recent months.

Replying to arguments related to human rights and democracy promotion,  the Bolivarian President assured Uruguay's President Luis Lacalle Pou that Venezuela is open to a sincere debate without interference.

"We must turn the page on the divisionism that has taken hold in Latin America, the harassment of the Bolivarian Revolution, and now the incessant harassment of the Cuban and Nicaraguan Revolutions," President Maduro stressed.

He also regretted that Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro excluded the South American nation from the CELAC forum, noting that the decision was a clear negationist and divisive move.