The Third Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), a burgeoning and powerful bloc of nations from the Americas that excludes Canada, the United States, and the European territories in the Caribbean, has been -for the most part- flowing smoothly in Costa Rica.

The CELAC 2015 Summit is being held at the Pedregal Convention Center, located in the municipality of Belen (Bethlehem), province of Heredia. This affluent municipality is home to the Intel R&D center, Bridgestone and other important drivers of the Free Trade Agreement economy in Costa Rica.

Hosting the CELAC Summit is a major and prestigious endeavor for the Pedregal Center, which is typically home to Molly-fueled electronic dance music (EDM) parties (formerly known as ecstasy-fueled raves) as well as Expo Movil, an annual consumer auto show that has been accused by some of being a sexist event.

Poverty Reduction Instead of Political Rhetoric

CELAC got off to an ominous start with a video statement by President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, who hinted at the presence of terrorists groups in Costa Rica that may have traveled here for the purpose of threatening his safety. Thankfully, none of that happened, and security for this event, which brings together 33 Heads of State from powerful nations such as Brazil and Mexico, has been extremely mild in comparison to the grand display of helicopters, snipers, armored caravans, etc. that accompanied President Barack Obama of the United States during his visit in 2013.

President Luis Guillermo Solis delivered an elegant opening statement with snippets in various languages (we expect that Dutch, the official language of Suriname, will be included next time). Although past CELAC Summits and working meetings have featured generous anti-United States rhetoric by leaders from the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (Spanish acronym: ALBA), a group which includes Nicaragua, Cuba, Bolivia, and Venezuela, among others, the focus of CELAC 2015 has been on reducing poverty and empowering civil society with a focus on social well-being.

Some Tense Moments at CELAC 2015

Political animus, nonetheless, has crept up in Belen. President Maduro of Venezuela affirmed that Cuba is being chastised for its longtime relationship with former leader Fidel Castro, who was a de facto dictator of that Caribbean island nation for decades before ceding power to his brother Raul.

Then it was up to President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega to throw a curve ball at the proceedings, as he has been known to do in the past. President Ortega ceded his turn to speak at this Summit to Ruben Berrios, leader of the Independent Party of Puerto Rico. Mr. Berrios leads a political faction that seeks independence from the United States, and he accepted the opportunity given by President Ortega to address CELAC about this geopolitical intent.

Some CELAC Summit participants looked puzzled during Mr. Berrios address, and the reason for this confusion is that a potential independence of Puerto Rico was not part of the Summit agenda. President Solis thanked Mr. Berrios but reminded the Summit that introducing such item was outside of the Summit protocol. Immediately, President Ortega raised his voice and exclaimed:

“More respect for Nicaragua! The voice of Puerto Rico is Nicaragua’s voice!”

President Solis then reminded President Ortega that there was no lack of respect, only a commitment to stick to CELAC’s protocols. The rest of the CELAC leaders looked pleased that this small and unexpected exchange did not escalate any further.

 

Source: CELAC 2015 Official Press Site