LATIN AMERICA-CARIBBEAN AND EUROPEAN UNION SUMMIT FOR PERU IN MAY

[Judi Lynn]

LATIN AMERICA-CARIBBEAN AND EUROPEAN UNION SUMMIT FOR PERU IN MAY
April 14, 2008



A summit of the European Union and the Latin America-Caribbean (LAC) region will be held in Lima, Peru, beginning May 16, it was announced at the Organization of American States (OAS) headquarters today.

Slovenia’s Foreign Affairs Ministers, Dimitrij Rupel, whose country holds the EU presidency, told an OAS Permanent Council meeting, chaired by Barbados’ Ambassador Michael King, that at least 20 heads of state and government from Europe are expected at the Fifth EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit.

Ambassador Maria Zavala, the Permanent Representative of Peru—which is co-chairing the Summit along with Slovenia—said 15 heads of state and government from Latin America and the Caribbean are confirmed for the meeting, with the Caribbean likely to further increase its representation.

“Our aim is to strengthen strategic partnerships between the two regions based on mutual respect, common values and economic, political, cultural, historical and human ties,” Foreign Minister Rupel told the OAS member state ambassadors in the Permanent Council. The summit is one of the largest EU events involving third countries, he said, adding that the EU-LAC Summit in Lima is “an opportunity to further build partnership between our two regions by focusing on the main issues: the fight against poverty, inequality and exclusion; and sustainable development, the environment, climate change and energy.”

http://www.oas.org/OASpage/press_releases/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-128/08