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OAS Assistant Secretary General Visited the Site of the General Assembly in Antigua, Guatemala

The Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Albert Ramdin, visited Antigua, Guatemala this week, accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, Carlos Raúl Morales Moscoso. The purpose of his visit was to verify the status of preparations for the 43rd regular meeting of the OAS General Assembly, which will be held in the city from June 4 to 6, 2013.

Ambassador Ramdin highlighted that "the Republic of Guatemala will host the meeting of the supreme body of our organization for the third time, which should be a source of great pride and also reflects Guatemala’s enormous commitment to the institution, its purpose and principles."

"I am convinced that this commitment, as well as the measures underway to welcome the Foreign Ministers will facilitate the discussions that will take place as part of hemispheric efforts to promote peace, strengthen democracy and create prosperity for the peoples of the Americas," said the senior official, addressing the country’s team in charge of coordinating the event, headed by Deputy Minister Morales Moscoso.

During the meeting with Ambassador Ramdin, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Social Communication of the Presidency of the Republic, the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism and security officials made presentations on various aspects of the event.

The group toured the facilities where the main activities will take place, after which the OAS Assistant Secretary General said he was "very pleased with the progress made and the determined manner with which the authorities and the people of Guatemala have taken on their commitment.''

Back in Guatemala City, Ambassador Ramdin met with the Foreign Minister of the host country, Ambassador Fernando Carrera Castro, with whom he held an important exchange on the substantive issues to be discussed during the hemispheric meeting.

Guatemala's government chose as the main theme of the 43rd OAS General Assembly "For a Comprehensive Policy to Fight Drugs in the Americas." The debates and negotiations on the Declaration of Antigua are underway at the headquarters of the OAS in Washington, DC. It is also expected that during the Assembly the Secretary General of the organization, José Miguel Insulza, will present the report on the drug problem that was entrusted to the OAS by the Heads of State and Government of the Americas during the Sixth Summit of the Americas held last year in Cartagena, Colombia.

Details on the 43rd regular meeting of the OAS General Assembly are available in http://www.oas.org/en/43ga/ and www.43asambleaoea.gt/.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-178/13