President Leonel Fernandez travels to Panama today where he will take part in the Association of Caribbean States summit. He will attend the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government and will also hold important bilateral meetings. On his agenda for the three-day visit are meetings with President Vicente Fox (Mexico), President Martin Torrijos (Panama), President Oscar Berger (Guatemala), and Prime Minister Patrick Manning (Trinidad).
Foreign Relations ministers from the ACS member countries are meeting today in Panama to prepare for the summit that begins on Friday, July 29th in Panama. The 4th Summit coincides with the tenth year anniversary of the organization.
A Dominican, Ruben Silie, is the secretary general of the Association of Caribbean States, that groups 25 member states in the Caribbean, three associate states and 17 observers.
On this trip, President Fernandez will be accompanied by First Lady Margarita Cedeno, Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso and Deputy Minister for Foreign Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Relations Alejandra Liriano, among others. His itinerary includes a visit to the Ciudad del Saber, an international complex serving education, research and innovation, which promotes and facilitate synergy amongst universities, scientific research centers, new economy companies and international organizations.
On Thursday, 28 July, he will take part in a ceremony naming a Panama City street in honor of his father, Jose Fernandez, a former consul in Panama. In the afternoon, he will meet with Dominicans resident in Panama. He is also scheduled to receive an honorary degree from the University of Panama. That evening Fernandez will be attending a reception-dinner for the participants in the summit hosted by the Panamanian president.
For more information on the event, see http://www.acs-aec.org/greatCarib26072005_en.htm