In "a peaceful, joyful, dignified, and sovereign Caracas," the People's Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace in Our America was installed yesterday, even though the empire has sought to turn it into "a theater of military operations." This was acknowledged at the meeting by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil, who also denounced the psychological and military war to which his people are being subjected in an attempt to "break" their "will."
In this context, he warned, there is an attempt to reactivate the Monroe Doctrine, which must be overcome by the Bolivarian doctrine, that of the peoples. Hence, he called for this space for debate to lead to the emergence of a permanent constitution for the People's Assembly, which would serve as an international structure to respond to any aggression.
With this objective in mind, more than 500 social leaders, intellectuals, artists, jurists, academics, parliamentarians, political parties, workers, and indigenous peoples have gathered in the capital of Bolívar and Chávez as a show of resistance and in search of a regional articulation consistent with the current times, in which the permanence of the area as a Zone of Peace is under attack.
According to local media, the integration of the Global South and the defense of truth, justice, and respect for international law—violated today not only in Latin America and the Caribbean, but in various parts of the world—are also part of the goals of the event, which is being attended by a Cuban delegation.
Other topics addressed at the Assembly are aimed at combating unilateral coercive measures and other actions of economic and social suffocation, defending the rights of migrants, the shared future of the continent, whose construction is in the hands of young people, as well as climate emergencies.
At the opening ceremony, prominent Cuban intellectual Abel Prieto referred to the ongoing military aggression by the U.S. government against the South American nation, which he said is jeopardizing not only the fate of Venezuela and the Caribbean, but also the balance of the world.
His words also served as a denunciation of the "criminal escalation and lies used to confuse the friends of the world, to divide the people of Venezuela and Cuba." He therefore emphasized the need for the agreements reached in this space for debate to become an active campaign to defend peace and a mobilizing force.
He also thanked the Venezuelan people and government for their help after Hurricane Melissa struck the eastern part of the country, and recalled that in the most difficult moments, one nation has stood by the other.
To close the meeting, the state of La Guaira will host the Concert for Peace and Sovereignty in Our America, to which several Caribbean groups have been invited.
