External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar addressed the India–SICA Foreign Ministers’ Meeting:
Central American Integration System (SICA) is the institutional framework designed to govern and facilitate regional integration in Central America.
- Secretariat: Located in El Salvador.
- Created by the Tegucigalpa Protocol (December 13, 1991), which updated the older ODECA Charter.
- Operation Date: Became fully operational on February 1, 1993.
- Recognized by the UN General Assembly (Resolution A/48 L, 1993).
- Founding States (6): Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama.
- Later Members (2): Belize, Dominican Republic.
- Extra-Regional Observers: Includes the EU, UK, Spain, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and India (a designated partner).
- Aims:
- Stability: Achieve and consolidate peace, liberty, democracy, and overall development.
- Governance: Promote human rights and the rule of law.
- Economy: Progress from a Free Trade Area toward a fully realized Customs Union.
- Cohesion: Develop regional infrastructure, a unified visa/passport system, and common global positions.
