At the closing of the “Our America” forum at the San Carlos Palace in the city of Bogotá, Colombia, representatives from more than 20 countries denounced an “escalation of attacks, sanctions and interference” by the United States.
The delegates, gathered at the headquarters of the Colombian Foreign Ministry, warned about the reactivation of control doctrines that seek to turn the region into a sphere of exclusive domain, combining financial pressures, judicial persecution and military actions.
The final statement, read by Uruguayan representative Bettiana Díaz, described the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and the first lady, Representative Cilia Flores, in Caracas, as a critical example of this “project of domination.” The document emphasizes that such acts, added to the blockade against Cuba and the interventions in Honduras and Argentina, are not isolated events, but a pattern that deliberately erodes international law and the self-determination of peoples.
Progressive International co-coordinator David Adler emphasized that the region faces a political and economic “emergency.” In this context, the signatories also condemned violations of migrants’ rights, citing the recent death of a citizen in Minneapolis during a federal operation as a reflection of the disproportionate use of force and the tightening of deportation policies in the United States.
Faced with what they described as the “largest political, financial and military apparatus in the world,” the forum made an urgent call for regional unity. “Sovereignty is not defended with isolation, but with collective action,” states the manifesto, proposing the creation of a common front that strengthens cooperation in strategic areas such as energy, food and the defense of labor rights to counteract external pressures.
The meeting, which had the support of President Gustavo Petro and the participation of figures such as Bill de Blasio and Andrés Arauz, concluded with the announcement of an upcoming summit in Havana.
The progressive leaders reaffirmed that this space is a process “under construction” designed to articulate a continental response to Washington’s renewed offensive in Latin America and the Caribbean.
