May 28, 1983
As host for the summit meeting of industrialized nations at Williamsburg, I have been pleased to receive several communications from leaders of the developing nations, including Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India and President Belisario Betancur of Colombia, who wrote on behalf of other countries. They have expressed their concern about serious economic problems in developing countries and their hope that these problems will be discussed at this summit.
We meet here in Williamsburg in a spirit of common purpose with all free nations of the world and a common dedication to achieve sustained noninflationary growth and an improved international trading and financial system. We are mindful, in particular, of the circumstances and concerns of the poorest countries who need our cooperation most.
The concerns of the developing countries have been an integral part of the preparations for this meeting, and I look forward to a full discussion with my summit colleagues of both the problems and the opportunities that arise from the close interrelationships between the economies of the developing and industrialized nations.