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Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM |
From left to right:
Pedro Vergés, Chair of the OAS Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Dominican Republic to the OAS
José Miguel Insulza, OAS Secretary General
Date: January 13, 2014.
Place: Washington, DC.
Credit: Maria Patricia Leiva/OAS
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The Permanent
Representative of the Dominican Republic to the Organization of American
States (OAS), Pedro Vergés, today assumed the Chair of the Permanent
Council of the hemispheric institution, held during the past three
months
by Perú.
Upon receiving the gavel that represents the Council’s authority from
his predecessor, Ambassador Vergés highlighted the historic ties that
bind his nation to the OAS. "For our country, and to me personally, is a
great honor to assume the Chair of the Council
of this Organization, which for us is of paramount importance, since we
were among the first countries that shaped it and have followed all of
its institutional history to the present," he said.
The Dominican diplomat said his country "is engaged in a continuous
process of institutional and democratic strengthening which will not
rest for a second. And on that basis we will work to strengthen the OAS
not only in our territory, but also in the territories
of our brother countries vying for the same."
Ambassador Vergés said that during the three months he holds the Chair
he will work to strengthen the hemispheric Organization "as much from
the administrative point of view as the institutional point of view, and
also in strengthening all the programs of the
Organization to promote what it represents."
Secretary General Insulza recalled that when he took office, eight and
half years ago, the Chair of the Permanent Council was held by the
Ambassador of Perú, Alberto Borea, who was succeeded by the Dominican
Ambassador Roberto Álvarez. "This means that today
we are witnessing a complete cycle in the Council, where the 34
countries participating in the Organization have assumed the Chair of
the Council, and it is a positive development that deserves to be
highlighted," said the OAS Secretary General.
The head of the hemispheric institution said that the period presided
over by the new Chair will be key to the institution, because "this
year, 2014, will be when we will make the necessary reforms in the OAS,"
referring to the debate on the Strategic Vision
of the Organization, which he proposed and which is
currently underway in the Permanent Council.
For his part, Ambassador Jiménez, who chaired the Council during the
last days of December after his predecessor and countryman, Walter
Albán, was called by the government of Peru to serve as Interior
Minister, said that "in this short period for me, but not
for my country, the Chair of the Permanent Council was a very important
experience."
The Peruvian diplomat highlighted the work of Ambassador Albán in
defense of the values of the Organization, noting that "there have been
major tasks related to clearing the mandates of the Organization, there
was also an important level of cultural activity
and further progress was made in the Plan of Action of the
Social Charter of the Americas Ambassador Jiménez added. "Right now
we are at a crucial stage for the Organization, to strengthen it, to
emphasize its constitutional mandate and to establish the political ties
between our countries, so we can envision our
common future in terms of democracy, good governance and respect for
rights."
The handover ceremony was also attended by the Assistant Secretary
General of the OAS, Albert Ramdin, and several Permanent Representatives
of the member countries.
The Permanent Council’s statutes establish that the chair be held by
each of the Permanent Representatives in turn, following the alphabetic
order in Spanish of the names of their respective countries, and the
office of Vice Chair, by identical standards, following
reverse alphabetical order. The Vice Chair of the Council will be the
Permanent Representative of Venezuela, Ambassador Roy Chaderton.
© Copyright 2014 by thebahamasweekly.com
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