LatinNews Daily - 25 April 2024

*The heads of state of member countries of the left-wing regional alliance Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América (Alba) have met in Venezuela to attend the alliance’s 23^rd summit. Alba, comprising Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Antigua & Barbuda, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica, St Kitts & Nevis, and St Lucia, was founded in 2004 by Venezuela’s late former president Hugo Chávez (1999-2013) and Cuba’s late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro (1959-2008). Over the past decade the alliance’s influence has declined due to the economic collapse of Venezuela, which had played a central role by providing discounted oil to help fund social initiatives in member countries. A joint declaration released at the end of yesterday’s summit stated that a new economic plan will be drafted for the alliance, which will be partly built on the Petrocaribe agreement, under which Venezuela provided discounted oil to Caribbean states. Among other things the declaration also called for a lifting of sanctions on Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua; called for Cuba to be removed from the US ‘State Sponsors of Terrorism’ list; called on European countries to pay reparations for colonialism and slavery; and condemned Israel’s actions in the Gaza war.