The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced that she will not attend the upcoming Summit of the Americas in the Dominican Republic, in disagreement with the exclusion of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela from the hemispheric event.
During her daily press conference at the National Palace, Sheinbaum was blunt in her response regarding her participation: “No, I will not attend,” said the leader, while explaining that her government is assessing whether there will be Mexican representation. “That is what we are considering, to see if someone from the Foreign Ministry could go.”
The Mexican president emphasized her disagreement with the decision to exclude certain countries from the summit: “Personally, we never agree with the exclusion of any country, but especially in the current situation, no. We must address the country and, in particular, the emergency,” referring to the floods affecting the central part of the country, which have so far claimed 64 lives.
On September 30th, the Dominican Foreign Ministry announced the decision of Luis Abinader's government to not invite Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to the X Summit of the Americas, which will be held on December 4th and 5th in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry explained that although the Dominican pro tempore presidency had promised an "inclusive" summit, the current context of political polarization led them to prioritize "the success of the meeting," extending the invitation to as many countries as possible.
The non-invitation to Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela —countries that, for various reasons, have chosen not to be part of the OAS and did not participate in the last edition of the Summit— represents the decision that, given the hemispheric circumstances, promotes greater attendance and ensures the development of the forum, states the document.
The Dominican government insisted that its decision “is based on a strictly multilateral criterion” and clarified that the bilateral relations with the three countries “have their own characteristics.”
The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, reacted to the statements.
“I will respond with the same words as President Claudia when she was asked about the Nobel Peace Prize: no comment,” said Abinader, referring to Sheinbaum's evasiveness regarding the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to María Corina Machado.
The IX Summit of the Americas, held in Los Angeles (USA) in 2022, was also characterized by the exclusion of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, as well as by the absence of then Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who protested for the same reasons.
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