In the margins of the UNASUR summit, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was attending today the inaugurating ceremony of the new headquarters of the regional body in Quito, Ecuador, which will be named under the head of state’s late husband and ex president of Argentina Néstor Kirchner.
Ms. Fernández arrived in the Ecuadorian capital city at around 12 am (Argentine time). She will be then leaving to the Mitad del Mundo City located 13 km away from Quito where both events will take place.
Yesterday, Cristina Kirchner took part in a meeting in Guayaquil where Uruguay received the Pro Tempore presidency of the block from Surinam.
During the Mitad del Mundo gathering, regional head of states will address a working agenda that has among its main objectives the creation of a “South American” passport citizenship that will allow the free circulation of 400 million people in the region.
Among other issues to be discussed are the creation of a “bank of medicine prices,” the foundation of the South American Defence School to be based in Ecuador, the strengthening of the electoral monitoring system and the possibility for the region to launch an Internet connectivity system using its own fiber-optic communication method.
As she has been doing in all international forums she has attended over the past months, Ms. Kirchner is expected to address Argentina’s ongoing dispute against so called "vulture funds" suing the country over its defaulted bonds more than a decade ago, calling for the need of a legal framework for sovereign debt restructuring processes.
The UNASUR new headquarters is a 20,000-square meter modern office that will be named under late ex president of Argentina Néstor Kirchner, also the first Secretary General of the regional bloc. A statue of Kirchner will be unveiled at the entrance of the building.
Other leaders attending the Ecuador meeting are Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff, Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, Bolivia’s Evo Morales, Colombia’s Juan Manuel Santos, Perú’s Ollanta Humala, Guyana’s Donald Ramotar, Surinam’s Desiré Bouterse and Paraguay’s Horacio Cartes.
President of Chile Michelle Bachelet and of Uruguay José “Pepe” Mujica will be not taking part in the final meeting. Bachelet had to return to her country after attending the Guayaquil event while Mujica was forced head back to Uruguay due to his health condition that does not allow him to remain at high altitude levels - Quito is 2,800 meters (9400 feet) above sea level.