The first countries to be members of this organization were Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela, the same members of the Contadora Group (Mexico, Colombia and Panama) and the Contadora Support Group (Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and Uruguay) which is also known as the Group of Lima or Group of Eight. The purpose of this group was to strengthen the political relationships and some issues among Latin American and Caribbean countries, this group was based on consultations of common interest such as the Latin American unity, by 2010 the Rio Group was composed by 23 countries and 1 representative from the Eastern Caribbean. On July 29, 1985, Argentina, Peru, and Uruguay announced the creation of the Contadora Support Group or Lima Group, which together with the Contadora Group was known as the Group of Eight.[2]