Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I attended the third summit of the EU and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, CELAC, in Brussels on 17 and 18 July. It is co-chaired by European Council President, Charles Michel, and the President of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves. It was also the first meeting at leaders’ level between the regions in eight years.

At the summit, leaders discussed ways to enhance relations between us, including enhanced co-operation in multilateral forums, global peace and security, trade and investment, efforts to combat climate change and justice and security for citizens. At the end of the summit, we adopted a declaration, which was endorsed by all countries but one, and we agreed to hold summits every two years. We agreed the next summit will be held in Colombia in 2025.

On the margins, I had a bilateral meeting with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley at which we discussed Ireland’s growing strategic focus on the Caribbean region and our wish to act as a partner for the Caribbean within the EU. I also informed her of our plans to establish a Caribbean office in Miami. Barbados will open an embassy in Dublin quite soon. I also met with the Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles. We discussed our wish to further enhance bilateral engagement through our office for Central America in Mexico. We also discussed trade, migration and multilateral cooperation.

The summit also provided the opportunity for many informal exchanges with Latin American leaders, including the President of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, the Chilean President, Gabriel Boric, the Mexican Foreign Minister, Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Grenada, Joseph Andall. I also spoke with the acting Haitian President, Ariel Henry, and the Jamaican Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, at the summit dinner. In my intervention, I welcomed growing links between the regions and the importance of our shared commitment to democratic values. I stressed the importance of standing with Ukraine against a fundamental breach of the UN Charter and international law that represents a threat to all of us.

I also highlighted the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the need to promote gender and LGBT+ rights, and those of indigenous peoples. Leaders signed a declaration committing to enhanced engagement on climate change, the reform of international financial structures, and the importance of working towards achieving more inclusive sustainable development.

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