We, the Presidents
of the Member Countries of the Andean
Community, gathered in Santiago, Chile at
the Presidential inauguration of Michelle
Bachelet, express our pleasure at being able
to take part in this act that is a
demonstration of the strength attained by
democracy in the Latin American countries.
Our presence also reflects the importance we
place on the progressive deepening of
relations between the Andean Community and
Chile in the context of the formation of the
South American Community of Nations.
The Member Countries
of the Andean Community likewise express our
unwavering commitment to the subregional
integration process launched in 1969 when we
signed the Cartagena Agreement. In this
connection, we reiterate our will to
continue furthering the integration process
by implementing the Andean agenda in order
to attain the key objective of the Agreement,
which is to promote the harmonious and
balanced development of our nations.
We would also like
to take this opportunity to underscore with
great satisfaction the results of the
assessment exercise carried out jointly with
the European Union and to express our will
to reach the necessary political consensus
with our European colleagues in order to
move ahead, at the forthcoming Latin America
and the Caribbean-European Union Summit to
be held in Vienna in May 2006, with the
negotiation of a CAN-EU Association
Agreement that would include a Free Trade
Area.
