Source: Press Division, Office of the President of the Republic of Ecuador
Guayaquil, October 14, 2008

At the Special Meeting of the Andean Council of Presidents, the President of the Republic of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, called upon Chile to return as a full Member to the Andean Community, “which it should never have left, as our fellow President, Michelle Bachelet, stated so perceptively,” he added.   

Similarly, he urged Panama and Mexico “to participate as observers and supportive Members.”

The President took as an example “the current crisis of the so-called First World, which teaches us, once again, that we must move ahead on our own two feet and rely basically on our own strengths.”

“In order to do this, the integration of our peoples and our nations is an inescapable requirement.”  For that reason, he recommended that the Andean Community “become a natural member of UNASUR; we are Latin Americans, we have an enormous potential and our wealth can mean the salvation of the entire planet,” stated President Correa.   

The Head of State accordingly urged the CAN Member Countries “to be prepared to assume our sovereignty over these resources and to be masters of our own destiny and, in this way, to effectively accomplish the end purpose of all our efforts, which is the happiness of our nations, of our citizens.” 

In concluding, the President put forward a proposal of what the Andean Community could mean to its citizens, that incorporates the necessary elements to ensure that “the process of Andean integration will enable its citizens to be committed to the construction of a great integrated and supportive nation so that, in harmony with nature, we may confront the challenges posed by globalization and move ahead, relying on our own integrity and strength.”