US-Hosted Summit of the Americas, Effectively 'Half-Empty'... Exclusion of Anti-US Three Countries and Boycott

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] After the United States excluded the leaders of three anti-American Latin American countries?Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela?from the invitation list for the Summit of the Americas held in the U.S., a boycott has followed. The event is effectively turning into a 'half-hearted summit.'

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre stated at a briefing on the 6th (local time) that the reason the U.S. did not invite Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela was "President Joe Biden's principled stance that dictators should not be invited." These three countries are representative anti-American nations in Latin America.

After the Biden administration excluded these three anti-American countries from the invitation list, Mexican President Andr?s Manuel L?pez Obrador declared a boycott, saying, "If all countries are not invited, I will not attend." Subsequently, Bolivia and some Caribbean neighboring countries also expressed their intention not to participate. Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced that she would send the foreign minister as a proxy. Additionally, Uruguay's President Luis Lacalle Pou was unable to attend due to testing positive for COVID-19.

This is the first time the United States has hosted the Summit of the Americas since the first meeting in 1994. The summit, held in Los Angeles, California, will run until the 10th under the theme of "Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future." Starting from today, ministerial-level meetings will take place, followed by the summit on the 8th attended by President Biden and others. However, the Latin American leaders confirmed to attend are limited to those from Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Peru.

There is also analysis that while the U.S. focuses on countering China and Russia, China's influence is growing in Latin America, as the Summit of the Americas effectively becomes a half-hearted event.

Jean-Pierre confirmed that President Biden was aware in advance of Mexican President L?pez Obrador's absence. Instead, the Mexican president will visit the U.S. for a bilateral meeting in July. On the same day, State Department spokesperson Ned Price also mentioned at a briefing that the three excluded countries are "not examples of democratic governments."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.