US Vice President Kamala Harris sent a taped message to the Presidents of Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic, who met in San José, Costa Rica on Monday, 21 March 2022. Carlos Alvarado Quesada of Costa Rica, Laurentino Cortizo Cohen of Panama and Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic met for the continuing of the high-level talks to discuss key regional and express the position of the countries on global issues. During the San Jose summit, the heads of state met with US Assistant Secretary of State Jose Fernandez. The heads of government agreed on the alliance when meeting during the September 2021 United Nations General Assembly, and have since then held summits in Panama, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.
The official position of the White House on the meetings in the words of Vice President Kamala Harris:
“Greetings from Washington D. C. Although I cannot be with you in person today, it is important for me to express my strong support for the work you are doing within the Alliance for Development in Democracy. There are some basic principles that have guided our democracies for years – human rights, rule of law, equality for all. At a time when we see democratic backsliding and international rules and norms under threat, and Ukraine, standing up for these principles has become even more important. This is the vital work of each generation and your three countries are carrying that work forward today in our hemisphere. And I thank you. Together Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Panama have outlined an ambitious and a necessary agenda. We will continue to count on your leadership to counter corruption, to promote gender equality, to defend freedom of expression, to find solutions for irregular migration and to bolster private sector investment. All of this is focused on one central goal – building a democratic prosperous and inclusive future for the people of Central America and the Caribbean. This work is important to me, to President Joe Biden and to the American people. And that is why our administration is eager to partner with you on all of these initiatives. It is a priority for the United States to demonstrate to the world, together with you that democracies can deliver results for all our people. Your work here today and through the alliance is proving this point. I look forward to our work together and deepening our cooperation to achieve these shared goals. Thank you all.”
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Noticias SIN
DR1 News
23 March 2022