PARAMARIBO, Suriname, Nov. 25 CMC – President of Guyana, Donald Ramotar has issued a call for great unity among developing countries within the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states.
Addressing the 30th session of ACP parliamentarians in Suriname on Saturday, Ramotar, who was a special guest at the meeting, said the group must broaden its relationship with the European partners, “but we have to look at our own interest”.
He also called for greater unity within the ACP Group, stating that there are attempts to developing political groups within the ACP similar to what exists in the European Parliament. “I think it will be a mistake for us to go in that direction”, the Guyanese leader said.
The African, Caribbean and Pacific nations have one thing in common that unites the member states as a group fighting for a better life for our peoples. “We must not allow ourselves to be devided into different political blocks. As ACP we are a power and a force to be dealt with”.
For the first time since its inception in 2005 the ACP Parliamentary Assembly has been addressed by head of states. While chairman of the ACP parliamentary meeting, Musikari Kombo of Kenya stressed the need for strengthening and deepening of regional integration, Suriname’s President Desi Bouterse noted that “in the face of common challenges, unity and solidarity remain the key vehicles to overcome obstacles to our shared progress”.
According to Bouterse the ACP group is at a crossroads.
“Indeed there is reason to believe that the very existence of the Organization is in danger”, Bouterse noticed. He further argued that regional integration remains an important vehicle for the development of the ACP regions and countries, and called for new ways of cooperation.
In his address, Kombo advised the governments represented to take the lead in improving governance, judicial and security systems. “Special attention must be made to promote the rights of women, children and the elderly. There also must be zero tolerance for war, ethnic division and corruption” he said.
The EU/ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly is the largest multilateral meeting after the General Assembly of the United Nations .
