Cuba and Argentina engaged in a significant exchange of declassifications during the XXIX Ibero-American Summit in Ecuador, which concluded this Friday without an official declaration from the 19 attending nations following the confrontation between the two countries.
During the plenary session, the Cuban representative, Rodolfo Benítez, accused Argentina of undermining the summit by denying climate change and the rights of women and indigenous peoples. He warned that Argentina failed in this endeavor by becoming isolated from a declaration signed by all other participants except for the government of the far-right Javier Milei.
For his part, the Argentine ambassador, Eduardo Acevedo, stated that his country "cannot and will not remain indifferent to the violations of the rule of law and human rights" on the island, and that "according to the Argentine Government, it is Cuba that must restore democracy and respect the human rights and freedoms of its citizens."
Acevedo emphasized that the island has been criticized for years by international organizations due to its authoritarian regime, and he invoked the famous phrase "They bark, Sancho, a sign that we are riding," suggesting that these criticisms are merely evidence that his country continues to make progress in its defense of human rights.
Cuba insisted that the lack of an explicit condemnation of the economic embargo by the United States against the island was unacceptable. In response, the Argentine delegation not only distanced itself from the agreements in defense of women's rights but also criticized the internal situation in Cuba, the lack of democracy, and human rights violations.
The debate focused, among other things, on Cuba's expectation of a formal statement regarding the U.S. embargo, while Argentina chose not to endorse agreements that involved the defense of gender equity or democracy in certain countries in the region.
This clash is not isolated. Under Javier Milei's government, Argentina has adopted a more skeptical stance regarding the SDGs and climate change, in line with right-wing rhetoric and criticisms of what Milei has termed "cultural Marxism." This approach was also evident in Argentina's withdrawal from COP29, marking a departure from the international agenda on global warming.
Despite the bitter confrontation, the host foreign minister, Gabriela Sommerfeld, confirmed that the Summit was a success and that the absence of Presidents did not impact the ability to reach agreements.
The Secretariat is now in the hands of Spain, which faces the challenge of uniting member countries to ensure greater presidential representation at the 2026 Summit.
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