April 17, 2025
The following are excerpts from the statement of the Nicaraguan government on April 9, 2025, to the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Ninth summit of CELAC in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, April 2025.
We will continue to denounce all forms of aggression and unilateral coercive measures against the dreams of peace and well-being of our peoples and governments, especially in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
We recognize the legitimate demand of the fraternal Caribbean peoples for reparations for the crimes of colonialism and slavery, and we reject any extortion against them for their efforts to achieve better living conditions and health for their peoples.
We express our ever-present solidarity to the brotherly people of Haiti, who have the inalienable right to build peace and well-being without external interventions.
We express our unwavering solidarity with the people of Palestine and will continue to denounce the horrendous crimes and genocide that the Zionist State of Israel continues to carry out against the suffering people of Palestine, who have the right to enjoy their own free, sovereign and independent state.
We call on our CELAC to convene an Urgent and Permanent Session so as to analyze the very serious consequences of the tariff policies decreed by the United States of America against the world and to agree on common actions and measures to address their consequences, prioritizing the rights of our peoples, and in particular the struggles against poverty and for a dignified existence of well-being.
We express our permanent solidarity with the sisters and brothers who have had to migrate from their countries, and we demand dignified treatment for those who are made to return to their countries.
We agree with the legitimate demand of the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela for the safe return of Venezuelan migrant siblings. We express our solidarity with those who have been kidnapped and imprisoned, denied all their rights, and we demand their immediate return to their homeland.
We enthusiastically welcome the upcoming meeting of the China-CELAC Forum. We are sure that this mechanism and platform for dialogue and its initiatives will be a good opportunity to exchange and open new bridges of cooperation.
Nicaragua rejects any attempt to undermine not only the founding ideals of our community but also attempts to exclude and neglect the serious problems that afflict our region’s peoples.
We make it clear that a declaration that does not include the rich history of our Community of Latin American and Caribbean States responds to attempts to weaken the efforts of those of us who want a strong CELAC and has the objective of dividing us and reducing our principles to an unacceptable minimum. Nicaragua expressed at the time and without hesitation that it fully supported the proposal that the Pro-Tempore Presidency presented as a Draft Declaration a month ago.
But the actions of those who sabotaged this effort were obvious and visible, to the point of proposing a minimal, diluted document that does not express the great issues and problems facing our peoples in the region and in the world.
A CELAC declaration under minimum conditions must continue to defend the sovereign equality of states, the right to self-determination, territorial integrity and non-intervention in the internal affairs of each country. It must reaffirm our commitment to the defense of sovereignty and the right of every state to define its institutional and normative framework, free from threats, aggression and unilateral coercive measures.
No aggression against Cuba or Venezuela
It must continue to express our firm rejection of the aggressions and the blockade imposed by the United States since 1962 against the sister republic of Cuba.
It cannot fail to express solidarity with the fraternal Bolivarian people and government of Venezuela in their struggle for the dignity and defense of their people against external aggressions.
It cannot but denounce all forms of aggression and unilateral coercive measures against our peoples and governments.
It must express the unwavering solidarity of this region with the people of Palestine and denounce the horrendous crimes against them.
A declaration of this Summit should refer to the very serious consequences of the tariff policies decreed by the United States of America against the world and agree on common actions and measures to address their consequences.
A declaration by CELAC should include solidarity with the sisters and brothers who have had to migrate from their native countries and should demand dignified treatment for those who are made to return to their countries.
It must recognize the legitimate demand of the fraternal Caribbean peoples for reparations for the crimes of colonialism and slavery, reject any extortion against them and express unequivocal solidarity towards the fraternal people of Haiti without external interventions.
Many of these elements have been extensively addressed by most delegations, but they have not been reflected in the proposed declaration.
We believe that any report should reflect the rich discussions held and should reflect more clearly and truthfully the reality of the intense and profound discussions that the heads of state and government have held at this important summit.
The Republic of Nicaragua reiterates that it will continue to participate, work and promote the unity and integration of the region, while reiterating that it cannot accept or accompany the document presented as a proposal for a declaration, because it does not reflect the complex realities that the peoples of the world and the region are living through, and because it departs from the fundamental principles that underlie this organization.
