Santos heads to Havana for regional summit

Juan Manuel Santos (Photo: President's Office)

Colombia’s Juan Manuel Santos will sit down with other state leaders Tuesday at the summit for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in the Cuban capital Havana.The Colombian President confirmed on his twitter account that he will be meeting with the presidents of Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela as well as the prime ministers of Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will also be present.

Havana is the next phase of a diplomatic tour which last week saw Santos in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum.

MORE: Santos arrives in Switzerland to talk peace, drugs and investment with world leaders

This next summit will reportedly approach the most pressing issues facing the region, including poverty and inequality.

Uruguayan President Jose Mujica has also expressed an interest in discussing the ongoing peace talks between the Colombian government and the country’s longest survivng rebel group, the FARC, also taking place in Havana.

Santos’ 24-hour trip to the Cuban capital does not appear to include plans to meet with the FARC, however.

MORE: Colombia president will not meet with FARC during Havana visit

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was established in 2011 by the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in an attempt to counter US dominance in the region’s politics.

Sources

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