MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

ALBA summit in Bolivia to speed economic integration

Bolivian Vice President Garcia Linera.

The ALBA, Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, meets this week in Bolivia with economic integration as the main issue of the agenda.

The summit will address several issues, “but specifically the economic complementation processes among the peoples of the Americas”, said Bolivian Vice-president Alvaro García Linera.

He added the objective is to reach “this goal the fastest and in the most intense way” and that production of some of the more advanced members should help those countries that are weaker.

“The economy will have the most attention in the ALBA summit together with continental integration processes in other fields, such as social and cultural”, added García Linera.

The summit is scheduled for next October 16 and 17 in the city of Cochabamba, where there will also be a private business forum with delegations from all country members.

Countries represented in ALBA are Ecuador, Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominica, St Vincent & Grenadiens and Antigua & Barbuda.

So far Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez; Ecuador’s Rafael Correa; Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega and as a special guest Fernando Lugo from Paraguay have confirmed attendance.

García Linea added that Bolivia will be proposing an extension of the Trade of the Peoples Treaty, TCP, which so far has been signed by Venezuela, Bolivia and Cuba.

“TCP is a new economic integration mechanism which following the Cochabamba summit will begin to move master and to be implemented”, said the Bolivia official, responsible for the organization of the event.