1. Express their satisfaction for the incorporation of the Republic of Argentina, the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Republic of Paraguay and the Republic of Uruguay as Associate Members of the Andean Community.

2. Reiterate that this decision is in line with the convergence of both integration schemes with the intention to continue advancing in the process for establishing the South American Community of Nations.

3. Express their satisfaction for the participation of the Representatives of Chile, Mexico and Panama as observers in this Council.

4. Highlight their firm commitment made during the Third Summit of South American Presidents held in Cuzco in December 2004 to establish a South American Community of Nations and consider that this is an important step towards the integration of South America.

5. Ratify their commitment to strengthen a democratic, participatory and inclusive state that, with due respect to the independence and division of powers, will guarantee the effective exercise of human rights, including citizen rights, and promote social justice.

6. Feel gratified by the institutional solutions adopted in Bolivia and Ecuador through which the effectiveness of democracy and the constitutional state has been affirmed. Therefore, they highlight the actions being carried out by the Andean Community through the Council of Foreign Affairs Ministers and the General Secretariat to contribute to preserving the constitutional systems and democratic governance in the Subregion.

7. Reiterate their will to continue promoting the development of a democratic world order based on multilateralism and full respect to the United Nations Charter, which should be the guarantee for collective security supported on the prevalence and respect of International Law. In this context, they reaffirm their commitment to develop and improve the policies contained in the Declaration on the South American Peace Zone.

8. Convinced of the need of a balanced, comprehensive and sustainable approach to the fight against the world drug problem, they reaffirm their commitment to lead the implementation of the Hemispheric Strategy for the Fight against Drugs, based on the principle of shared responsibility. In addition, they feel gratified by the adoption of the Andean Comprehensive and Sustainable Alternative Development Strategy.

9. Reaffirm their political commitment to continue strengthening the fight against terrorism within the framework of respect to International Law and Human Rights, promoting adequate international cooperation in the fight against this calamity.

10. Consider that the advances of recent years in the region in economic stability and growth matters, together with a reduction in the foreign debt service, should permit social sustainable investment and an improvement in income distribution in benefit of the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of the population.

11. State their full agreement with the decision to strengthen public policies that in a more direct manner contribute to social cohesion and equitable development, namely: the implementation of socially responsible economic policies, priority attention to compliance with the objectives of the Millennium Summit on social investment and generation of working capital for the poor, the promotion of decent work and the full effective exercise of the fundamental rights of workers, the promotion of decentralized development policies with ample social participation, the promotion of small and medium enterprises and an adequate development of science and technology in accordance with our needs and potentialities, and the promotion of a citizenship culture based on rights and responsibilities that promote the strengthening of democratic institutions in the State and in society.

12. Highlight the importance of commencing a programmatic and institutional convergence process by those responsible for the health of the member countries of the South American Community of Nations with the participation of the existing mechanisms, the 11th Working Subgroup of MERCOSUR, and the Health Andean Organization – Hipólito Unanue Convention, aimed at building a common space for the institutionalization of South American health integration.

13. Affirm that an east-west continental interconnection, parallel to a north-south interconnection of the South American territory, is an essential approach for regional physical integration. In this context, they highlight that for building Integration and Development Hubs, and not only corridors, it is an essential requirement to promote the comprehensive development of the influence areas in each one of the groups of projects that IIRSA has identified, analyzing them with the participation of the concerned communities.

14. Agree on the importance of promoting within the South American integration context, a more active participation of its citizens aimed at achieving their own regional identity

15. Taking into consideration the sovereignty of each country over its natural resources, they value the importance of analyzing a joint approach to the knowledge and management of the South American territory resources, ensuring conservation and sustainable use of the biological diversity, as well as the fair and equitable distribution of the benefits derived from their utilization.

16. Aware of the strategic nature of the energy sources, and their vital importance for development, they reiterate their firm interest in promoting energy interconnection projects in South America, including all the States of the region, without detriment to the existing commercial arrangements. Therefore, they highlight the proposals for cooperation agreements between national energy operators.