Biden and leaders of 10 Latin American countries met in Washington to agree on economic measures to boost the region

(CNN in Spanish) — US President Joe Biden received the leaders of 10 Latin American countries on Friday in Washington as part of the Americas Economic Prosperity Alliance (APEP) Leaders Summit, the White House reported. It’s a statement.

The goals of the meeting included strengthening economic relations between countries to strengthen the region by strengthening supply chains, encouraging innovation in the public and private sectors, and combating the climate crisis. The White House added that the focus of the announced plan is “clean energy, semiconductors, and medical supplies.”

in Joint declarationThe leaders presented the five priorities for the economic alliance:

• Enhancing competitiveness and regional integration
• Promoting shared prosperity and good governance
• Building sustainable infrastructure
• Climate and environmental protection
• Promoting healthy communities.

Who attended?

The meeting was attended by the leaders of Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay. On behalf of Mexico and Panama, whose presidents did not attend the meeting, Foreign Ministers Alicia Bárcena and Janaina Tiwani, respectively, attended as representatives.

“We have come together to establish the Alliance of the Americas as a forum implemented by leaders ready to deepen economic cooperation and integration in our hemisphere,” conference attendees said. Joint declaration This Friday.

Immigration, a priority issue

The White House said in a statement The coalition countries “collectively host the majority of migrants and refugees in the region,” so “investing in these communities can be a catalyst for innovation and growth, as well as a way to stabilize migration flows.” In this sense, the United States announced an investment of approximately US$485 million that will be managed through the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) “to assist migrants, refugees, receiving communities, and vulnerable populations in the Western Hemisphere.”

In addition, the United States, Canada, South Korea and Spain, along with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), will make a donation of US$89 million to support countries in the region most affected by migration, White said. House statement.

“These funds will help stabilize communities hosting refugees and migrants by funding infrastructure and social services – such as education, citizen security and economic opportunity – as part of our shared commitments under the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection and the Americas Alliance.” The statement said, adding that the contributions demonstrate a “shared commitment to improving the living conditions of migrants in the Western Hemisphere.”

Statements of some Latin American leaders

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, content The energy issue was one of the topics discussed on the agenda, as the region could make a significant contribution “to the very existence of the planet” if that energy was brought to the United States to contribute to the energy transition.

“Today, the United States has about $600 billion to fund its energy transition program, which if invested, rather than within the United States, to take advantage of the advantages of South America, would provide prosperity to the South, so that immigrants could “On his rights in his country of origin, which is the best way to ensure that there are no immigrants.”

For his part, Guillermo Laso, President of Ecuador, said a permitHe added that the conversation “was very positive because it was an open and frank dialogue, where each country expressed its views.”

Finally, Chilean President Gabriel Buric. He mentioned that his country “For the sake of multilateralism and fair trade, we want to move forward and for this to translate into tangible improvements to the quality of life of our people,” he added.