From Presna Latina

Montevideo, Jun 7 (Prensa Latina) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay highlighted today that Uruguay”s admission as observer of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) will help strengthen the historical ties of friendship and cooperation with the ACS member countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the admission will allow deeper integration with the regional bloc, which was established on July 24, 1994, in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

On last June 3rd, during the 8th Extraordinary Meeting of the ACS Ministerial Council held in Havana, Uruguay was admitted as an observer, ‘through unanimous adoption of resolution’, the statement added.

According to the statement, one day later Uruguay participated already as observer at the 7th Summit of Heads of State and/or Government of the Association of Caribbean States, on the Caribbean island.

The main objectives of the ACS are to strengthen the ‘regional cooperation and integration process’ in order to create a regional economic space, preserve the environmental integrity of the Caribbean Sea and promote sustainable development, the text added.

The ACS members are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, El Salvador, Granada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, the Bahamas and Mexico.

Nicaragua, Panama, Dominican Republic, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela are also members of the ACS.

Among the associate member states are included Aruba, Curacao, France, on behalf of French Guiana, St. Barthelemy and St. Martin, Guadeloupe, Martinique and the Netherlands, on behalf of Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius.

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