Member states of ALBA explained

ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas) has 10 member states and three observer states. In addition, Suriname is a "special guest member" which intends to become a full member.[1]

History

When it was launched, ALBA had two member states, Venezuela and Cuba.[2] Subsequently, a number of other Latin American and Caribbean nations have entered into this Peoples' Trade Agreement (Spanish: Tratado de Comercio de los Pueblos, or TCP) which aims to implement the principles of ALBA.

President Evo Morales, of poor but natural gas-rich Bolivia, joined the TCP on 29 April 2006, only days before he announced his intention to nationalize Bolivia's hydrocarbon assets.[3] Bolivia is a member of both UNASUR and ALBA, thus its attitude is crucial to relations between the two, says Marion Hörmann, since Bolivia is traditionally seen as a mediator between the Andean countries and the rest of South America.[4] Venezuela and Ecuador are also members of UNASUR.

Newly elected President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua signed the agreement in January 2007. However, Nicaragua is also a member of the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

Ecuador officially joined in June 2009.[5]

In January 2008, the Caribbean island nation of Dominica joined ALBA.[6]

In April 2009, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was accepted as the seventh member of ALBA, while Grenada stated publicly that it was not yet ready to join the bloc.[7]

In June 2009, the Prime Minister of Jamaica said he would seek to address the future of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) given the effects of ALBA and Trinidad and Tobago's proposed political union with the OECS on the Caribbean Community as the two main elements he says will have a "destabilising effect" on the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) bloc.[8]

Antigua and Barbuda, Ecuador and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines formally joined ALBA on 24 June 2009.[9]

On 25 August 2008, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya signed an agreement to join the ALBA, with a rally in front of the Presidential House that was attended by many of the presidents of the countries that are part of ALBA, including Chávez and Morales.[10] The Honduran congressled by Roberto Micheletti,[11] who later became Zelaya's main political enemy, and president of the interim government after the 2009 Honduran coup d'étatapproved ALBA on 9 October 2008.[12] [13] On 16 December 2009, the Honduran congress met to withdraw the country from the ALBA, claiming a "lack of respect" from Venezuela since the country's joining in 2008, citing in particular Hugo Chavez' remarks about a potential invasion of Honduras to restore Manuel Zelaya to office, after he was removed on 28 June 2009 in the 2009 Honduran coup d'état. Withdrawal from ALBA was ratified by the Honduran Congress on 13 January 2010. Economic relations with Venezuela continue, including via Petrocaribe.[14]

Saint Lucia joined as a full member on 30 July 2013.[15] Grenada and Saint Kitts and Nevis became members on 14 December 2014. With their accession, all independent countries in the Lesser Antilles except Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago are now members.

Ecuador announced its withdrawal from ALBA on 23 August 2018.[16]

Bolivia's interim government withdrew in November 2019 during the political crisis,[17] but rejoined following the 2020 Bolivian general election.[18]

Member states

Common name
Official name
Date joined
Population
Area (km2)
GDP PPP (US$ bn)
Capital
Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and Barbuda2009-06-241.546St. John's
Plurinational State of Bolivia 2006-04-2943.424Sucre
CubaRepublic of Cuba2004-12-14108.2Havana
DominicaCommonwealth of Dominica2008-01-20.72Roseau
Grenada2014-12-14St. George's
NicaraguaRepublic of Nicaragua2007-01-11[19] 15.89Managua
[20] Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis 2014-12-14Basseterre
Saint Lucia2013-07-202.101Castries
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesSaint Vincent and the Grenadines2009-06-241.085Kingstown
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela2004-12-14358.623Caracas
ALBA Totals10 Countries636.481

Observer states

!Common name!Official name!Population!Capital
Republic of Haiti10,847,334Port-au-Prince
Islamic Republic of Iran81,672,300Tehran
Syrian Arab Republic18,284,407Damascus

Former member states

Common name
Official name
Date joined
Date withdrawn
Population
Area (km2)
GDP PPP (US$ bn)
Capital
HondurasRepublic of Honduras2008-08-252009-12-16112,4925,492Tegucigalpa
EcuadorRepublic of Ecuador2009-06-242018-08-23106.993Quito

Notes and References

  1. El Universal, 6 February 2012, ALBA summit ends with entry of guest countries
  2. Monthly Review, 2008-07-02, ALBA: Creating a Regional Alternative to Neo-liberalism?
  3. News: Leftist trio seals Americas pact . BBC News . 2006-04-29 . 2010-04-26.
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20110927084954/http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/168821/index.en.shtml Regional Integration: Key Role for Bolivia
  5. News: Ecuador to Officially Join the ALBA Agreement . 2009-06-03 . Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba . 2009-06-21 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090620121848/http://www.cubaminrex.cu/English/ALBA/Articulos/Press/2009/Ecuador.html . 20 June 2009 .
  6. News: Mike . Fuller . Dominica Joins ALBA Revolution . 2008-01-28 .
  7. http://www.cananews.net/news/2009-04-21/ CARIBBEAN-ALBA-St.Vincent ready to join ALBA but Grenada is not
  8. News: UNDESIRED CONSEQUENCES: Golding says CARICOM under threat . 2009-06-23 . 2009-06-10 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20120218045421/http://www.cananews.net/news/131/ARTICLE/38630/2009-06-10.html. 2012-02-18. dead .
  9. Web site: Venezuelan president hails ALBA's expansion - People's Daily Online.
  10. http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID={572E71EE-08F1-4328-A8C2-83D8840AC033}&language=EN
  11. Web site: Proceso Digital . www.proceso.hn . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081013053504/http://www.proceso.hn/2008/10/09/Nacionales/Congreso.Nacional.aprueba/8877.html . 2008-10-13.
  12. Web site: Bajo presiones, Congreso ratifica adhesión a la Alba . 24 January 2011 . 4 January 2013 . https://archive.today/20130104011050/http://archivo.laprensa.hn/Ediciones/2008/10/10/Noticias/Honduras-esta-con-la-Alba-pero-con-reservas . dead .
  13. http://www.tiempo.hn/secciones/crisis-politica/7673-micheletti-pide-al-congreso-denunciar-adhesion-a-la-alba
  14. El Tiempo, 13 January 2010, El Parlamento de Honduras ratifica su salida de la Alba
  15. http://www.caribjournal.com/2013/08/09/st-lucia-officially-joins-alba/ Carib Journal St Lucia Officially Joins ALBA 9 August 2013
  16. Web site: Ecuador leaves Venezuelan-run regional alliance. Associated Press. 2018-08-24. AP NEWS. 2019-01-12.
  17. Web site: Bolivia rompe relaciones con Venezuela y se retira de la Alianza Bolivariana ALBA DW 15.11.2019. 15 November 2019. Deutsche Welle. es-ES. 2019-11-16.
  18. Web site: Bolivia reanuda su participación en Unasur, Celac y Alba. 2020-11-20. 2020-11-21. France 24.
  19. News: Nicaragua celebra 14 años de solidaridad y respeto como parte del ALBA-TCP. La Voz del Sandinismo. es. 11 January 2021. 12 January 2021. 12 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210112013839/https://www.lavozdelsandinismo.com/nicaragua/2021-01-11/nicaragua-celebra-14-anos-de-solidaridad-y-respeto-como-parte-del-alba-tcp/. dead.
  20. Web site: Declaration of the ALBA-TCP XIII Summit and commemoration of its tenth anniversary, December 14, 2014 | Alba TCP . 22 December 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141220020448/http://alba-tcp.org/en/contenido/declaration-alba-tcp-xiii-summit-and-commemoration-its-tenth-anniversary-december-14-2014 . 20 December 2014 . dead .