St .Kitts and Nevis Participates in the XVII ALBA-TCP Political Council Meeting in Nicaragua

Basseterre, Nov 12, 2018- The 17^th Ordinary Meeting of the Political Council of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of America (ALBA), was held in Managua, Nicaragua on November 8, 2018. St. Kitts and Nevis was amongst the eight countries of the eleven member organization which participated in this important meeting.

The delegation was headed by Ambassador to CARICOM and OECS Commissioner, H.E. Lionel Sydney Osborne and included Ambassador in the Office of the Prime Minister, H.E. Michael Powell, and Foreign Service Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Sonia Boddie-Thompson.  The other countries in attendance at the meeting were Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Antigua and Barbuda.

ALBA which was founded in 2004 by Venezuela and Cuba is the Latin American and Caribbean countries integration platform that emphasizes solidarity, complementarity, justice and cooperation.  Topics discussed at the XVII ALBA-TCP meeting included: the regional situation, results of electoral processes, aggressions towards ALBA member countries, unilateral coercive measures, citizenship by investment, correspondent banking, politicization of migration and threats towards regional peace and security.

Speaking on behalf of St. Kitts and Nevis at the Meeting, Ambassador Osborne used the opportunity to thank the Government of Venezuela for its continued generosity to the Government and people of St. Kitts and Nevis. H.E. Osborne also stressed, “St. Kitts and Nevis is committed to ALBA, and we do not support any type of political interference in the countries of our region, by those who believe that, might is right.” He therefore assured the gathering that although St. Kitts and Nevis is a small country, the Federation “stands in solidarity, shoulder to shoulder, with other countries that are under threat of external interference.”

The XVII ALBA–TCP Political Council Meeting concluded with countries adopting a declaration which amongst several things, rejects any and all attempts of interference in the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean, reiterates the need for more political integration and consensus as a way of defending the sovereignty and self-determination of its people, highlights that developing countries are the ones who suffer the adverse effects  of climate change, reiterates  the demand for the unconditional lifting of the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, as well as  rejecting the measures adopted by those who  name some members of the Caribbean countries  as non-cooperative jurisdictions.

It was also confirmed at the meeting that Cuba will host the 16^th ALBA Summit in December.