Mexico: Pacific Alliance Cancelled, Says Mexican President

The president of Mexico said on Tuesday that this week's summit of the Pacific Alliance would not take place because the Congress of Peru refused to provide that country's president with permission to depart the country.

The Pacific Alliance is currently presided over by Peruvian President Pedro Castillo. However, he is engaged in a protracted legal battle with his nation's Congress on corruption claims.

"They did not allow the President of Peru to attend," President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said, per Associated Press News.

Moreover, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador claims that Argentine President Alberto Fernandez and Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will not attend this week's gathering in Mexico City.

López Obrador initially planned to greet the presidents of those countries, as well as leaders of Colombia and Chile, but he has already announced that only the latter two will be there.

There have been five investigations into corruption charges against Castillo, all of which have been disproven.

Legally, a judge in Peru cannot bring charges against the president except for treason, violently dissolving Congress, or obstructing elections.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Says They Can Hold the Pacific Alliance Meeting in Peru

Peru is a potential host for the event, and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has promised to discuss the idea with his alliance partners.

According to Lopez Obrador, the congressional push to remove Castillo is "racist," La Prensa Latina noted.

"We're working on that. It's probable that we can go have the meeting there in ... the first week of December, but now that Gustavo Petro and President Boric are coming (to Mexico) ... we're going to discuss this matter," the Mexican president stated.

After the fact, Peru's president tweeted his appreciation for Lopez Obrador's support and solidarity "in putting the common interest of our peoples above any political irresponsibility that a certain sector caused in impeding" his ability to attend the conference.

Pedro Castillo Says Peru Is Prepared for the December Summit

On Tuesday, Castillo voiced his approval to hold the Peru summit on national television.

Castillo declared Peru is "prepared" to host the Pacific Alliance meeting, giving Peru the right to act as the alliance's "pro tempore" president, per MSN.

"It is not only a challenge, but a commitment to promote the advancement of peoples, which will help the country in its growth for the benefit of all. To the members of this space, we are ready to receive you," Castillo wrote on Twitter.

Later, César Landa, the foreign minister of Peru, echoed Castillo's remarks and said he appreciated President López Obrador's "gesture" by saying that the transition of the "pro tempore" president "could be the first week of December."

Although the Brazilian and Argentine presidents suspended their visit to the country, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has assured that presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Alberto Fernández will visit Mexico soon because they are "close friends."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Mexico suspends Pacific Alliance summit after Peruvian congress refuses to allow Castillo's trip - From TeleSUR English