During a work tour in Palencia last Tuesday, May 17, President Alejandro Giammattei announced that he will not participate in the Summit of the Americas in the United States, but for now neither the Foreign Ministry nor the Social Communication Secretariat have responded if he had already been invited and How did you report your absence?
Until now, both entities have limited themselves to telling La Hora that, “in due course, the statements on the subject will be given.”
The host country recalled that respect for democracy is a “condition” to participate; Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua have been excluded as they are considered by Washington to be “autocratic governments”, although the president, Joe Biden, is considering inviting a Cuban representative.
The meeting welcomes all the leaders of the countries of North, South, Central America and the Caribbean. The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has pushed for a summit without exclusions.
Q112 billion, more money for the government without much control ???? [https://t.co/pXDPIlihik] pic.twitter.com/OQ23J87TrW
– La Hora Newspaper (@lahoragt) May 21, 2022
NO RESPONSE
After Giammattei’s statements, La Hora contacted the Ministry of Social Communication to request answers to two questions: if the government had already received an invitation to attend the Ninth Summit of the Americas and through whom it was reported that they would not attend the same; however, they sent the queries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minex), but no response was received either.
Again this Sunday, May 22, the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency was consulted, who reissued it to the Foreign Ministry again, which this time reported that on Monday, May 23, they would be managing the responses, “today it is not possible for them to give information” , they explained.
Minutes later, the SCSPR said that they would talk about it in due course.
CONCERNS ABOUT THE GUEST LIST
The United States will host the Summit of the Americas for the first time since the meeting in Miami in 1994, however, the uncertainty about the list of invitees to it remains.
“An empty summit would undermine United States efforts to reassert its influence in Latin America in the face of China’s advances in the region while raising concerns about a democratic backsliding in the area,” mentions the AP news agency.
Last Friday, Ned Price, a spokesman for the US Department of State, declared that the first tranche of invitations “went out” on Thursday the 19th, adding that, “as is standard in the case of summits, we are still considering additional invitations and We will share the final list of invitations once they have all been sent out.”
This Summit would be the first in which a president of the United States would participate since 2015, Price mentioned that Joe Biden has been traveling throughout the hemisphere and speaking with leaders of the region in order to work in said meeting with a wide variety of questions.
“Our agenda is to focus on working together when it comes to the core challenges facing our hemisphere, facing our neighbors. We are a region that is still recovering from COVID-19, that has suffered economic shocks that are generating unprecedented levels of migration, not only to the United States, but also to Mexico and Central America, and we will talk about the challenges of climate change” , he stated.
Finally, he asserted that there will be a solid participation that will bring together thousands of people to focus on challenges and opportunities in the hemisphere, and that young leaders, CEOs, business leaders, civil society will be part of it, “making this summit the most inclusive till the date”.
AMLO WANTS “EVERYONE TO BE INVITED”
According to AP, the Mexican president, Manuel López Obrador, reiterated on Friday his wish that “everyone be invited”, this is due to the possible exclusion of Cuba, for which the Mexican president would threaten to boycott the Summit if it is ruled out. the participation of the Caribbean country, as well as that of Venezuela and Nicaragua.
GIAMMATTEI: “I SENT TO SAY I’M NOT GOING”
In a speech that Giammattei gave in Palencia, he also asserted that he informed López Obrador that he would make a decision that would cause a stir, a conversation that they held before his desire to keep María Consuelo Porras as Attorney General and Head of the Public Ministry was made known. .
According to the president, López Obrador responded during his visit “you have the support of Mexico.”
#PORTADADEHOY
Giammattei: I sent word that I will not go to Summit ???????? [https://t.co/LASns8oqcj] pic.twitter.com/ivhK7MQI8V– La Hora Newspaper (@lahoragt) May 17, 2022
While Giammattei mentioned, “they are not going to invite me to the Summit –of the Americas– anyway, I sent word that I am not going to go”.
Giammattei added that as I “told” that nation’s ambassador, alluding to the United States, that “this country could be of this size, but as long as I am president this country is respected. Sovereignty is respected.”
The foregoing contrasts with the US, because only a few hours after having renewed Porras for four years, the State Department announced a new sanction for the head of the investigative entity.