HAVANA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of a left-wing regional bloc members in Latin America and the Caribbean will gather here on Friday to talk about consolidation and better cooperation.

According to Cuba's Foreign Ministry, a summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the People of Our America (ALBA) will open in the morning to discuss various political, social and economic issues.

"Havana will host the XVI ALBA summit on the 14th anniversary of its foundation by Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez. We ratify our will to consolidate Latin American and Caribbean integration," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel wrote on his Twitter account on Thursday.

Founded initially by Cuba and Venezuela in 2004, ALBA was designed to reduce Latin America's reliance on western aid by promoting intra-regional alliances and cooperation in key sectors such as energy and trade.

In addition to Venezuela and Cuba, other members of the bloc include Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Dominica, Grenada, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

"The summit will be an opportunity to reaffirm the bloc's commitment to unity, cooperation and solidarity and will also allow strengthening the alliance's concentration capacity among its member countries," said Cuban Foreign Ministry in a short statement. Enditem

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