Cuba Says It Won't Attend Summit of the Americas in June After U.S. Snub

Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced Wednesday that his country will no longer participate in the Summit of the Americas in June after the U.S. failed to extend a proper invitation.

According to Los Angeles Times, Diaz-Canel tweeted that "under no circumstance" would he attend. Some countries earlier expressed that Cuba should also be invited to the summit.

In the tweet, Cuba's president further noted that the U.S. "conceived early on the Summit of Americas" that it would not be inclusive and lamented the U.S. position for failing to be "inclusive."

"Its intention was to exclude several countries, #Cuba among them, despite the strong regional claims for ceasing exclusions," Diaz-Canel said.

The president then announced his country's decision not to attend the Summit of the Americas next month.

"I can assure you that, under no circumstances, will I attend. As it has happened often times in the past, the voice of #Cuba will be heard at the Ninth Summit of the Americas," Diaz-Canel said.

Diaz-Canel thanked other countries and their representatives who argued that Cuba should be included in this year's Summit of the Americas.

"We appreciate the courageous and dignified standing adopted by the countries that have raised their voices against exclusions. We share the position adopted by the leaders of the region, who have firmly stated that all countries should be invited on an equal footing," the president said.

U.S. Tried to Look for Ways to Include Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua in the Summit of the Americas

The announcement of President Miguel Diaz-Canel came after the U.S. said it tried to look for ways to include Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela in the upcoming summit following threats to boycott over their governments' exclusion, Voice of America reported.

An administration official said Monday that they were still evaluating options on "how to best incorporate" the voices of the people of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua into the summit process.

Brian Nichols, the top U.S. official for Latin America, earlier said he did not expect invitations for officials from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela as the three countries do not respect the 2001 Inter-American Democratic Charter.

Cuba and Two Other Nations Are Being Snubbed on the Summit of the Americas

Leaders from several countries have expressed their distraught about Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua not being invited to the summit that is being held every three or four years.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) said earlier this month that he will not attend the summit if the U.S. refused to invite the three countries.

"If they exclude, if not all are invited, a representative of the Mexican government is going to go, but I would not," AMLO noted.

Argentina also appealed to avoid excluding any government from the Summit of the Americas. In a statement, the country called the summit an excellent opportunity to build space for encounters in which all countries of the hemisphere will participate.

According to reports, the U.S. has the privilege to choose the leaders who will be invited to the Summit of the Americas, as it is the event's host country.

This year's Summit of the Americas will be held in Los Angeles from June 6 to 10. President Joe Biden earlier said the goal of this year's event was for countries from across the Americas to sign a regional declaration of migration and protection.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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