Exclusion Of Countries From Summit Of Americas Blow To Continental Democracy - US Activist

LOS ANGELES (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th June, 2022) Exclusion of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba from the Summit of Americas is a serious blow to the democracy on the continent, Member of the Coalición de grupos Nuevas Ideas Internacional Deisy Cabrera told Sputnik on Monday.

"All countries must be heard to present their contributions and demands. Not listening to them is a serious blow to continental democracy and a clear interventionism of the economic elites who want to make their hegemonic power felt on the continent," Cabrera said. "They want to continue seeing Latin American countries as their colonies."

Earlier in the day, CNN reported, citing a senior administration official, that the United States will not be inviting Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela to participate in the Summit of the Americas due "the lack of democratic space and the human rights situations." The decision to exclude Venezuela was announced in late May, when national coordinator of the summit Kevin O'Reilly said that the US will "absolutely not" invite the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as Washington does not recognize it.

"At this point in our history, it is absurd to practice the exclusion and marginalization of countries that are assisted by the right of participation," Cabrera said. "This kind of attitude does not contribute anything to live in harmony, on the contrary it slows down the development and establishment of democracy throughout the continent."

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced on Monday that he will not participate in the Summit of the Americas hosted in Los Angeles from June 6-10 due to the exclusion of some countries.

A number of other countries including El Salvador are not attending the event in Los Angeles.

Cabrera shared with Sputnik that the activists support the decision of El Salvador's leader not to come.

"I applaud, his decision of not participating on it because it violates the participation of countries considered unwelcome by the United States," she said.

When asked about the current state of relations between the United States and El Salvador, Cabrera said, "currently they aren't at their best, the two of them, the governments."

"We consider it as something conjunctural, which obeys the foreign policy of the Biden administration," she added. "The government of El Salvador is clear that our country El Salvador is a free and sovereign country and no country has the right to impose an agenda on another. And they can only be improved by establishing mutual respect between the two countries and avoiding interventionism."

The activist believes however that the tensions between the two countries do not interfere with the immigration issue.

"We have no worries.� We are clear that El Salvador as a country can maintain friendly relations with all the countries it deems convenient," she concluded. "We are a free and sovereign country.� We are masters of our own self-determination."

The Ninth Summit of the Americas is taking place in Los Angeles from Monday to Friday.