The Foreign
Ministers of the G-3 countries (Carolina Barco of Colombia, Luis Ernesto
Derbez of México and Jesús Arnaldo Pérez of Venezuela) met in the
Colombian capital of Bogotá on 26th August 2004 on the occasion of the
celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the G-3 Free Trade Treaty. For
these three countries the G-3 is an opportunity for integration,
cooperation and political dialogue the importance of which rests not only
in the conformation of a market of more than 140 million people, with a
GDP of close to US$310,000 million, but also upon the fact that it is a
tool for strategic projection in political, economic, social and cultural
terms. In fact, after 10 years, G-3 has recorded important achievements in
areas such as energy, cooperation with Central America and the Caribbean
and in trade integration.
G-3 was created in 1989 when Colombia, México and Venezuela, attending the
meetings of the Contadora Group to sign the Pact of San José*, expressed
their willingness to contribute to the political and economic dialogue
between what was then the EEC and Central America.
Though the Bogota Meeting was held to mark the 10th anniversary and to
make important decisions regarding the Free trade Treaty, it is the
Ministerial Declaration coming out of the Meeting which focuses our
attention today, as the document turned out to be a recommitment on the
part of the three nations to the ideal of a Greater Caribbean.
According to Mexican Foreign Minister "México, Venezuela and Colombia are
seeking integration not only from the economic point of view but also from
a social perspective for the benefit of our citizens.” The three
high-ranking officials also discussed the G-3’s links to the Caribbean in
order to extend their commercial ties to the sub region. The Venezuelan
Foreign Minister stated that ”Venezuela will contribute all of its
influence in the Caribbean in order to make the integration of our
countries a reality [as] The Caribbean roots of our three countries give
us a basis and a common vision of development.”
In this important document, the Ministers agree to undertake joint
horizontal cooperation activity towards the countries of the Caribbean
region and welcome Venezuela’s proposal to use the headquarters of that
country’s Institutes of Co-operation and Culture throughout the region for
a joint program of cultural activities to be prepared. The Ministers
further expressed their willingness to continually support programs in the
fight against HIV/AIDS in the region.
Furthermore, the Ministers commit themselves to cooperate with Haiti in
all aspects of the reconstruction of its democratic institutions and
instructed their National Coordinators to prepare a Mission to examine
possible areas of co-operation in which the G-3 could contribute to
international efforts to assist that country. In this regard, Minister
Barco of Colombia said that the G-3 seeks “an integrated and continuous
response” to the issue of cooperation with Haiti.
The ACS obviously welcomes this Declaration from the Ministers as, whilst
stating that the three countries have the greatest interest in
strengthening regional co-operation, consultation and co-ordination
mechanisms in the economic and social spheres, it very clearly recognizes
the importance of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) as the main
forum for co-operation in the Greater Caribbean and commits the Ministers
to join forces to strengthen its action in the region, and promote
participation at the highest level in the Summit of 2005 to be held in
Panama.
The importance of this recommitment for the Greater Caribbean region
cannot be underestimated. Quite apart from the obvious potential of these
three countries to provide energy, technical and other forms of assistance
to their region, the recommitment on the part of the Ministers breathes
new life into the ideal of solidarity in which, through confidence
building initiatives such as those proposed in the Declaration, we can
finally develop our Greater Caribbean identity and tell the globalized
world that the Caribbean Sea, rather than being the moat between us,
unites us in many common causes vital to our survival and prosperity.
* Agreement between G-3
and 9 Central American and Caribbean countries for the supply of
hydrocarbons through special financing arrangements, as well as the
establishment of a cooperation mechanism for economic and social
development.
Luis Carpio is the Political Adviser of the Association of Caribbean
States. The views expressed are not necessarily the official views of the
ACS. Feedback can be sent to mail@acs-aec.org
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Kerry, Speech at New York University
Jackson, How the US election is likely to turn
Soca De Vote, Getting Caribbean-Americans to the polls
Liut, Goss's qualifications as seen through his stands on
Haiti
Gutman, Of cretins, killers and kleptocrats
Carpio, G3 in the Greater Caribbean
Gutman, The sweet smell of revenge
Bernal, General History of Panama
Leis, Floods and building standards
