St. John's - Dec. 2, 2011 - Prime Minister Dr. Hon. Baldwin Spencer is currently in Caracas, Venezuela attending the summit of Latin America and the Caribbean on Integration and Development (CALC).

Thirty-two countries will attend the summit which will officially open on December 2nd -3rd in Caracas.

Prime Minister Spencer, who arrived in Venezuela on Thursday to attend the meeting of Heads of State and Government Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean (CALC), welcomed the holding of the meeting which he described as "historic and very important to strengthen relations between our countries.

He stressed that the creation of the CELAC, which will be born during the presidential meeting this Friday and Saturday, is "to serve much the hemisphere and the people because it is an institution primarily serving agenda and to improve the quality of life of their peoples ".


Prime Minister Spencer estimates that the foundation of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean provides an opportunity for
the regional bloc to make decisions based on the true interests of peoples and reshape the financial system to lead the hemisphere outside the economic crisis.


"I think we have a very strong chance here to make joint decisions that allow us to tackle the economic crisis. I hope we can do very well taking the opportunity to lead the entire hemisphere away from the current crisis," Prime Minister Spencer said.


Prime Minister Spencer, whose country is also part of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA), stressed that the meeting will also renew the regional links "and give more strength to the integration processes."


"I think (the CELAC) is one of the most significant steps we have taken in the recent history of the hemisphere," he said.


The creation of the CELAC was raised by the heads of state in February 2010, during the Rio Group summit in Cancun, when Mexico proposed the union of all the countries of the region belonging to the Rio Group and the summit of Latin America and the Caribbean, CALC.