Joe Biden, President of the United States, will preside over the ninth session of the Summit of the Americas, led by the United States as host, in Los Angeles.
NotePress. During June 2022, the Ninth Summit of the Americas will be held in Los Angeles, California, United States. 34 countries from the hemisphere participate in this event to discuss common political aspects, affirm common values and commitment to national and regional actions, in accordance with the economic system of Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Summit of the Americas was first held in Miami in 1994, at the invitation of former US President Bill Clinton, and has since been repeated approximately once every three years. According to the US State Department, this is the only meeting of all leaders of the countries of North, South, Central America and the Caribbean. The US currently chairs the Summit’s deliberative body and the Summit Implementation Review Group. In addition, as the host country of the ninth session, it is also chairing the summit process.
Thus, the said country held this edition of the Summit of the Americas under the slogan “Building a sustainable, resilient and equitable future”. Among the concerns that will be addressed at this meeting, the US State Department lists the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the health, economic, educational and social systems. It also threatens democracy, the climate crisis, and unequal access to economic, social and political opportunities.
In connection with this version, the international press revealed the supposed reluctance of the host country to invite Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela to the summit. It should be noted, as international media reported at the time, that Cuba did not participate in the Summit of the Americas until 2015 and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was excluded from the 2018 edition.
When questioning the official position on this issue, senior officials in the White House administration reiterated that there is no official position yet to be announced. They emphasized the welcome of elected leaders from the Western Hemisphere, but noted that they, as hosts, had the choice of who would be invited.
However, they promised to consult with the countries of the Organization of American States (OAS) on the matter, as announced on January 20, 2022. As of May 4, 2022, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that a final decision on the matter had not yet been reached.
The Mexican President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, was the main advocate for the existence of these countries during the summit. In statements to the press, he maintained the legitimacy of their participation as American states, and demanded that no one be excluded. In addition to a specific question during the morning press conference on May 10, he announced that he would not attend the meeting if the United States decided not to invite the disputed nations. He confirmed that if this happens, a representative of the Mexican government headed by Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard will attend in his place.
Los Angeles will host a new Summit of the Americas, hosted by US President Joe Biden. So far, the most important detail is the refusal to invite countries with complex diplomatic relations with the United States. However, leaders like Lopez Obrador did not hesitate to express their discontent and call for non-dismissal during a political event of this magnitude.