In Brazil, the presidents of thirty-three Latin American and Caribbean nations gathered Tuesday to discuss ongoing efforts towards regional integration. The US and Canada were excluded from the talks. Cuban President Raul Castro said southern nations should continue to address the challenges of coming together.

Cuban President Raul Castro: “The will to integrate Latin America starts with the well-known inequalities in the levels of development between the region’s nations, the lack of infrastructure, the huge social injustices and the enormous disparity of interests.”