PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon formally opened the first Mexico-Caricom Summit here on Sunday afternoon.

"Mexico is a nation that is Caribbean nation, powerfully Caribbean," Calderon said when the summit began at around 3:50 p.m. local time. "As such Mexico takes on its responsibility of participating actively in the region's development."

Calderon said that the Sunday summit, which has gathered 13 Caribbean heads of state, would focus on five issues: supporting Haiti in the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake, boosting trade and growth across the region, protecting and developing tourism, boosting regional security, and tackling climate change.

In his speech, Haitian President Rene Preval said that as many as 300,000 people may have died in the devastating earthquake last month.

"More than 200,000 bodies have been recovered from the streets, (and) with those under the rubble that figure could reach 300,000, " he said. After the Sunday summit, Preval will also take part in a Group of Rio Summit here on Monday and Tuesday.

Preval thanked the host Mexico for all the aid it had provided for Haiti's earthquake victims.