Venezuela's President, Nicolas Maduro, and his Cuban counterpart, Miguel Diaz-Canel, participated this Sunday in the closing session of the 25th edition of the Sao Paulo Forum in Caracas. Numerous delegates representing more than 70 countries attended the ceremony.

“The U.S. imperialism counteroffensive and the oligarchy, alongside the hawks that have literally hijacked U.S. foreign policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean, are dangerously threatening the geographical space that CELAC [Community of Latin American and Caribbean States] declared a Peace Zone,” said Diaz Canel.

The Cuban president pointed out the set of anti-democratic mechanisms used such as the criminalization of progressive leaders, and corruption and data manipulation to subvert whatever has been accomplished in favor of democracy and social justice. The forum is a mechanism of coordination of progressive forces.

"Venezuela is today the first anti-imperialist trench of the world," he added demanding the Sao Paulo Forum to embrace a more active role in the complex and threatening international and regional scenario, characterized by a new imperial hostility and the withdrawal of progressive governments in some countries of the region.

President Maduro insisted on the importance of the unity of the Latin American and the Caribbean left forces "from the moral, spiritual and political point of view. We have to achieve the union of all progressive parties with a great project that manages to unify the popular forces," he stated.

Faced with the constant "imperialist calls for despair and division," the Venezuelan president pointed out that Bolivarianism is "Venezuela's autochthonous response to the crisis of the model of pro-imperialist domination that was imposed on the country.”

As part of the commemoration of revolutionary leader Hugo Chavez’s birth, the secretary of the Sao Paulo Forum, Monica Valente, said that the best way to pay tribute to the former Venezuelan president is "to continue his struggle for the sovereignty and inclusion of the peoples, to combat poverty and imperial forces.”

The Sao Paulo Forum Initially labeled as "Meeting of the Latin American & Caribbean Leftist Parties and Organizations," first took place on June 1990 in Brazil and brought together about 60 participants.

It was founded by former Brazilian president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro. Currently, over 120 organizations from 25 countries are part of the event.