“ I can assure you that in no case will I attend,” said the Cuban leader, Miguel Díaz-Canel, in relation to the Summit of the Americas to be held in Los Angeles from June 6 to 10.
The ruler made that blunt statement in the last of a series of four tweets published this Wednesday night in which he criticized the way in which the United States has managed the continental event.
“It is known that the Government of the United States conceived from the beginning that the Summit of the Americas would not be inclusive. It was its intention to exclude several countries, including Cuba, despite the strong regional demand for an end to exclusions” , wrote.
The United States began sending invitations last week but so far it has not transpired if it gave in to the demands of governments in the region such as Mexico, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, Honduras and Guatemala to include Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Washington had initially announced that it did not plan to invite any of the three countries because they did not respect democracy, but criticism from several Latin American leaders, led by Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who question their assistance if not all are invited have led the United States USA to think of alternative solutions.
The White House has considered the possibility of a representative from the island attending, which in no case would be the president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, nor the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez.
“Cuba’s voice will be heard at the IX Summit of the Americas,” added the Cuban president to his series of tweets without giving more details of what he meant.
Among the leaders who condition their presence on that of their counterparts in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, López Obrador stands out, although Bolivian Luis Arce and Guatemalan Alejandro Gianmattei have joined him. The Argentine Alberto Fernandez and the Honduran Xiomara Castro, in a similar line, have questioned their assistance in case of exclusions.
The Chilean Gabriel Boric and the Panamanian Laurentino Cortizo do seem determined to attend, but they have strongly expressed themselves in favor of all the countries of the continent being invited, while the Caricom (Caribbean Community) seeks a common position.
“We appreciate the brave and dignified position of the countries that have raised their voices against exclusions. We share the position of the leaders of the region who have firmly claimed that everyone must be invited on an equal footing,” Díaz-Canel said in his Twitter thread.
Colombia is the only one that, without being in favor of the absence of Managua, Havana and Caracas, has expressed that democracy must be a factor to take into account in this type of event. The Brazilian Bolsonaro, who initially questioned his attendance in Los Angeles for different reasons, has finally confirmed that he will attend.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro affirmed on Tuesday that “the voice of Venezuela, the voice of Cuba and the voice of Nicaragua will reach Los Angeles in the great protests of the people.”
That same day, and surprisingly, the leaders of Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba convened for this Friday the XXI Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), which will be held in Havana.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that “during the conclave, the nations that make up our Alliance will share common development strategies and analyze the regional political situation.”
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