Various Latin American and Caribbean have said that they will not attend the Americas Summit in Los Angeles next month unless the United States (US) rescinds its decision to exclude Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Cuba.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he would send a less high-profile official in his stead if the US does not change course, making a plea for independence, sovereignty, and “universal fraternity.”
He opined during a daily briefing in Mexico City yesterday: “We feel that there should be no confrontation. Even with the differences, we must dialogue, all Americans.”
#Bolivia cimienta sus relaciones internacionales en la Diplomacia de los Pueblos, con inclusión, solidaridad, complementariedad, respeto a la soberanía, autodeterminación y construcción colectiva de la Cultura del Diálogo y la Paz.#AméricaSomosTodosLosAmericanos
— Luis Alberto Arce Catacora (Lucho Arce) (@LuchoXBolivia) May 11, 2022
In a similar vein, leftist Bolivian president Luis Arce tweeted that an Americas summit that excludes any countries from the region cannot be considered a “full summit.” In this regard, he declared, “If the exclusion of sister nations persists, I will not participate.” He stressed that Bolivia believes that international relations should honour the principles of “inclusion, solidarity, complementarity, respect for sovereignty, self-determination, and the collective construction of a culture of dialogue and peace.”
Similarly, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, said, “We do not believe in the policy of ostracising Cuba and Venezuela.” Browne added that his government does not recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the legitimate leader of the country, in stark contrast to the US and at least 60 other countries.
Although Argentina has not threatened to boycott the summit, it has said that as the current rotating president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), it urged the US to “avoid exclusions that impede having all the voices of the hemisphere in dialogue and being heard.”
This afternoon, I’m holding a phone call with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico. I look forward to discussing our vision for the Ninth Summit of the Americas and discussing North America priority initiatives for the region.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 29, 2022
Likewise, Stand Vincent and the Greanadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said he would not attend if Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is not invited.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, however, has replied that the Biden administration is yet to issue the invitations for the event, which will take place from June 6-10. In a press conference on Wednesday, she noted that participants will discuss “freedom and democracy for every country; our shared climate goals; a stronger, more collaborative COVID-19 response; and addressing the root causes of migration, like going after organized crime and economic instability.”
Meanwhile, far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who will contest for re-election in October, has said he does not plan to attend the summit, though he did not say why. In the past he has celebrated his relationship with Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump and has criticised the current administration for its comments on Brazil’s environmental “mismanagement” and even threatened sanctions. In fact, Bolsonaro and Biden have never spoken with one another.
Suggestions that the US would exclude Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Cuba from the summit first arose on April 27, when US Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols said their attendance at the summit is “unlikely.” He added, “We expect the democratic nations of our hemisphere to gather for a conversation.”
Preparations for the Ninth @SummitAmericas in June are in full swing!
— Brian A. Nichols (@WHAAsstSecty) May 2, 2022
Words matter and agreeing on language is no small thing. Delegates from all over the region are on site in Los Angeles working on commitments to build a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future. pic.twitter.com/LNSz590uYs
The US has said that Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s government is illegitimate. In fact, Biden has previously said that Ortega was re-elected via a “pantomime election that was neither free nor fair, and most certainly not democratic,” hitting out at the arrest of dozens of opposition figures, including would-be candidates, journalists, and researchers. His victory in October gave him a fourth consecutive term in office, having been in power since 2007. He also previously led the country from 1985 to 1990.
The Biden administration continues to recognise opposition leader Guaidó as the legitimate president of Venezuela, arguing that Maduro’s re-election in 2018 was rigged. To this end, it has sanctioned various Maduro government officials as well as state-owned oil company PDVSA, which has crippled Venezuela’s economy, which is heavily dependent on oil exports, and sent its inflation rate spiralling, leaving at least 94% of its population below the poverty line.
Lastly, the US has had an embargo against Cuba in place since 1960 in response to its nationalisation of US-owned oil refineries. Under Trump, the US re-added Cuba to the US’ State Sponsors of Terrorism list and imposed a host of new sanctions, a policy that the Biden administration has said it does not plan to change. The US has also criticised the Cuban government’s suppression of protesters, most notably during historic demonstrations last July.
Cuba has insisted that the US’ policy amounts to economic terrorism, a point that was echoed by the Mexican President during his visit to the Caribbean island nation on Sunday. He insisted that the US must end the decades-old blockade against Cuba, calling it “inappropriate and inhumane” and a human rights violation by the “hostile” US.
The Summit of the Americas should not be gauged exclusively by US standards, serve US interests only, or be reduced to a Summit of the United States of America.https://t.co/ZI221w9AZ8
— Spokesperson发言人办公室 (@MFA_China) May 10, 2022
Cuba was excluded from the first six Americas summits from 1994 to 2012 but was then invited to the seventh iteration in Panamá in 2015.
The Americas Summit is an event of immense significance to the US amidst a growing Chinese presence in Latin America. As pf December 2021, 20 of the 24 regions in the Latin American and Caribbean region are partnered with China through the Asian giant’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative.
Taking note of the developments surrounding the summit, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in a press conference yesterday: “The Summit of the Americas should not be gauged exclusively by US standards, serve US interests only, or be reduced to a “Summit of the United States of America.””
President @lopezobrador_ wont attend the Summit of the Americas in an act of protest if countries are excluded— but @m_ebrard will. pic.twitter.com/dBqzxTm2Ll
— Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) May 10, 2022
He added, “Taking Latin America as its own backyard, the US didn’t commit itself to helping Latin America, but wantonly bullied it. Instead of benefiting Latin America with its own development and prosperity, the US has brought Latin America wanton exploitation, willful sanctions, inflation, political interference, regime change, assassination of politicians and even armed aggression.”
He thus called for the end of the Monroe Doctrine and for the US to “respect Latin American countries’ sovereignty and dignity, and play by basic norms governing international relations.”
The US also relies on countries in the region to curb immigration into the US. In fact, on April 21, it even held migration talks with Cuba following a four-year hiatus. In March alone, US border authorities reportedly arrested 210,000 migrants attempting to enter the country through the southern border with Mexico, marking the highest monthly total in two decades and a 24% increase from the same month last year. Around 170,000 migrants are currently waiting in camps in Mexico.
Keeping this in mind, Biden has previously outlined his hope that the summit will result in the signing of the Los Angeles declaration as a “new framework of how nations throughout the region can collectively manage migration.” Therefore, it is possible that the US could yet invite the three countries.