Presidents of Cuba and Honduras call for peace in the region without external interference

The presidents of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, called this Friday to maintain peace in the region without external interference, pointing to USAduring the VIII summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac).

“Peace in Latin America and the Caribbean must be based on respect for non-interference in the internal affairs of any State and on the principles of national sovereignty, equal rights and the self-determination of peoples,” Castro said in his speech at the opening ceremony of the summit, which is being held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Castro, who assumes the ‘pro tempore’ presidency of Celac, insisted: “The differences and problems of this bloc must be resolved among ourselves, without interference or external oppression, with dialogue as a tool and always thinking about the social well-being and self-determination of the people.”

For his part, Díaz-Canel stated that “Defending peace also implies the firmest rejection of unilateral coercive measures and blockades imposed by powerful countries that seek to act as universal judges to isolate and subjugate sovereign States,” alluding to the US blockade against Havana.

“Supporting peace is defending the right of each people to freely choose their political model and their own path towards economic and social development”he added.

The Cuban president added that “to advance the integrity of Latin America and the Caribbean It is essential to preserve peace.”

Both leaders also indicated that the region and the world need peace to be able to face pressing problems such as hunger, poverty and climate change, among others.

This 2024 marks 10 years since the proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace, ratified at the second Celac summit held in Havana.

The Celac 2024 summit is dominated by the leaders of the Latin American left, since in addition to Castro and Díaz-Canel, the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro; Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; Colombia, Gustavo Petro; and Bolivia, Luis Arce.