Santiago, June 7, (Represntative) The US excluding countries from the Summit of Americas is not the path to follow and will not deliver results, Chilean President Gabriel Boric said at a press conference. State Department spokesperson Ned Price at a press briefing on Monday confirmed that the Biden administration did not invite Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to participate in this week’s Summit of the Americas due to reservations about alleged lack of democratic rule and human rights abuses, in the latest countries. “Exclusion is not the way. Historically, it hasn’t delivered results, and when the United States intends to exclude these countries… it reinforces their positions, domestically,” Boric said at a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday.
“We think it’s an error, a mistake, and we’re going to say that during the summit.” Chile’s president also called for unity to better develop countries in the region. Earlier in the day, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced that he would not attend the Summit because Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela were not invited. Bolivia, Honduras and Argentina have also voiced their concerns. Earlier this year, the Mexican president criticized Washington by asking if it would be a Summit of the America’s or a Summit of the “Friends of America.” The Summit of the Americas (SOA), being hosted by the US in Los Angeles from June 6-10, first took place in Miami in 1994. It is an international meeting that brings together the leaders of countries in Organization of American States (OAS).