Central American and Andean Community foreign ministers are meeting in Santo Domingo to discuss regional collaboration. The meetings are held at the Ministry of Foreign Relations convention center from 8 to 9 November 2022.
Foreign ministers representing the Central American Integration System (SICA) and the Andean Community (CAN) are meeting to generate synergies and exchange knowledge and best practices regarding regional and country issues.
SICA is made up of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic, while the Andean Community is made up of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
This is the first time that the foreign ministers from both regions meet as a result of a joint effort between the Dominican Republic, which holds the Pro Tempore Presidency (PPT) of SICA, and Peru, which recently assumed the PPT of the Andean Community.
The Ministry of Foreign Relations press release explains that the Santo Domingo foreign ministers’ meeting follows the new efforts of the Presidency of the Dominican Republic to strengthen ties with cooperating partners. The Presidency and Ministry of Foreign Relations have motivated the new bloc — Alliance for Development in Democracy, so far with the participation of Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
“In this way, Latin American integration is fostered to create trade and knowledge-sharing networks that contribute to resilience,” stressed Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez.
Subsequently, the foreign ministers and deputy foreign ministers of the SICA countries will meet face-to-face for the first time in over a year to give continuity to the regional integration agenda.
On the agenda are talks about the direction of international cooperation in the region, security and regional institutions.
The Work Plan of the SICA General Secretariat for 2022-2026, recently presented by Secretary General Werner Vargas Torres, will be discussed.
Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez, as host of these meetings, is responsible for leading the high-level talks, promoting a space for dialogue and seeking solutions to the challenges affecting the people represented at the event.
The Dominican Republic assumed the Presidency of SICA on 1 July 2022 for the third time. The Ministry of Foreign Relations highlights that among the achievements of this PPT is the appointment of the Secretary General of SICA, Werner Isaac Vargas Torres, the reactivation of regular meetings, the completion of the review of the institutional universe of SICA and the high-level dialogue on innovations in regional administration.
Read more in Spanish:
Ministry of Foreign Relations
8 November 2022