Expert: Latin America develops a new national security concept

04.10.2017, Russia.

The former President of Columbia (1994 to 1998) and former UNASUR (Spanish: Unión de Naciones Suramericanas — UNASUR, Union of South American Nations) General Secretary (2014 to 2017) Ernesto Samper Pizano presented a new concept of national security of the region used as a basis for UNASUR at the 3rd International Forum Russia and Ibero-America in a Globalizing World: History and Modernity on October 3, a correspondent of the Rossa Primavera Information Agency reports.

The speaker stressed that before, the US-led concept of national security focused on the possibility of conflicts between the countries in the region. Now, the region follows a concept of peace without any internal conflicts; focusing on the issue of drugs which is a region-wide threat.

The former President of Columbia noted that this concept of trust is easier to implement in this region than in other regions because the population of Latin America is one nation in the process of integration. People living in different countries have the same roots, including historical ones.

In addition to drug-related issues, UNASUR faces the tasks of integration, reduction of inequality (in his opinion, inequality is worst in the fields of labor, gender, and race), lifting the dependence of raw material export, creation of a region-wide education system, and promotion of the right to free movement for people and labor. Pizano underlined that migrants must not be a problem; they are rather a consequence of a problem (war, poverty) but not its source. As long as capital, goods, and services can move freely, people should be able to move freely, too―for jobs as well. Speaking about the Organization’s future, the expert said that, having eight integration processes in the region (ALBA, MERCOSUR etc.), it looks reasonable to replace a number of duplicate Councils in these organizations with one.

The 3rd International Forum Russia and Ibero-America in a Globalizing World: History and Modernity is held in St. Petersburg on October 2 to 4. The Forum is a place where politicians, scientists, and journalists from all over the world discuss the issues of history, culture, social, political, and economic issues in Latin America.

Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency

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