Ecuadorian president says LatAm integration facing "difficult times"

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa on Friday acknowledged the difficulties and "complex process" Latin America is facing in terms of regional integration, due to the rise to power of "right-wing, neoliberal" governments.

After receiving the honorary title of Doctor Honoris Causa in Economics of the University of Havana, Correa stated that "leftist or liberal" processes which started with Venezuela in 1999 have "lost political space" across the continent.

"There are big problems and complicated conditions...in the integration process. Now the left is a minority and there is a big campaign from right-wing governments as part of a strategy of conservative restoration in the region," he said to an audience comprised of students and government officials.

In his keynote speech to address the achievements and challenges of Ecuador during his 10-year presidency, Correa condemned the "direct participation of the U.S." in this reorganization of right-wing administrations in Latin America.

"Conservative groups have gained ground in our continent in important nations like Brazil and Argentina," he said.

In addition, he stated that the deaths in recent years of leaders like Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, and Nestor Kirchner had been "hard blows" to the process.

However, Correa indicated he remains optimistic about the future and called on Latin American youth to "recover the lost space" and continue advancing social, economic and political transformations seen in the last ten years.

"Due to the model many countries implemented in the last decade, millions of Latin Americans have emerged from poverty and today have received education, health and housing thanks to the important social policies developed by our governments," he highlighted.

Correa received the honorary degree in a solemn ceremony celebrated at the University of Havana which was also attended by Cuba's First Vice President, Miguel Diaz Canel.

The Ecuadorian leader said it was an honor to receive such a degree in the country where late leader, Fidel Castro, led a revolution that changed the course of Latin American history.

"Cuba was the cradle of the first socialist revolution in the Western hemisphere and a reference to all leftist and liberal governments in the region," he said.

On Friday, Correa will also receive the Order of Jose Marti, the highest distinction awarded by Cuba to distinguished foreign personalities and will hold talks with his counterpart, Raul Castro.

The Ecuadorean leader arrived on Wednesday night the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba, about 900km east of Havana, where he paid tribute to the late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who died in November of last year.

He also paid tribute to the remains of Cuban independence hero Jose Marti, and visited places of historical and social interest in the city.

This will be Correa's last visit to the island as president of the South American country before handing over the position to Lenin Moreno on May 24. Endit