Our Goal is Achieving South American Unity, says Chavez from Bolivia
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived on Thursday in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where he ratified his desire to achieve South American unity.
“I take the opportunity to reaffirm the determination, which grows stronger every day, of achieving unity in South America. We are traveling this immense territory, from the Caribbean down to Rio de la Plata, and we have now touched passionate Bolivian land, the heart of South America”, he proclaimed.
The Venezuelan President was welcomed by Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca, Cochabamba governor Edmundo Novillo and Cochabamba Mayor Edwin Castellanos, reported Venezuelan television.
In declarations on Bolivian media, Chavez remarked, “Bolivia was born as a result of the Bolivarian Revolution, indigenous resistance and the unity of people, who 200 years ago brought freedom to these mountains”.
As part of the South American tour he initiated this week in Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia and which concludes this Friday in Colombia, President Chavez arrived in Cochabamba to review accords signed by the two nations and endorse new agreements in matters of agriculture, energy, electricity and agroindustry.
The goal of the meeting was to exchange knowledge and propose projects that benefit the economies of the two South American countries.
“I reaffirm from Venezuela our commitment to integration. We will continue working and strengthening the axis ‘Venezuela-Bolivia’, a constituent core of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA)”, said Chavez.
SISTER NATIONS
For his part, Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca assured that the relation between his country and Venezuela is an unconditional alliance of sister nations.
The Minister commented that President Chavez’s visit to Bolivia strengthened the cooperation and fraternal ties between the two countries. Choquehuanca informed that working groups from both delegations evaluated projects on commerce, hydrocarbons, and the fight against drug trafficking, among other topics.
As part of Chavez’s visit in Bolivia, a thermoelectric plant was inaugurated and several agreements were formalized between the Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA and Bolivian Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) for future oil exploration in both territories.
Additionally, the Bolivian Chamber of Deputies passed two agreements with Venezuela to promote commerce in the areas of textiles and mining, in accordance with the regulations established through ALBA. Chavez’s visit to Bolivia concluded with a public event at the Coliseum of La Coronilla, in the city of Cochabamba, with the participation of social movements and government representatives.
Heads of state from ALBA nations meet this coming Sunday, April 3, in Caracas for an annual summit to further relations and incorporate social movements into the alliance.