Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Photo: HispanTV.
The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, said that he will not participate in the Summit of the Americas due to the discriminatory criteria applied by the United States.
“I tell the Yankee from here, forget it, we are not interested in being at that Summit… This Summit does not exalt anyone, rather it soils, muddies,” the president of Nicaragua said this Thursday, May 19, in a ceremony paying tribute to the 120th anniversary of the birth of the hero of that nation, General Augusto César Sandino, as reported by the Cuban news agency Prensa Latina.
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The Summit of the Americas brings together the heads of state and government of the countries of the American continent every three or four years. The United States will host the 9th Summit of the Americas on June 6-10 in Los Angeles, California, an event that will allegedly focus on “building a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future” for the region.
The Nicaraguan president’s criticism followed the US intention to exclude sovereign nations from the event, including Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela. President Ortega also condemned the US for believing “they are owners” of Latin America and the Caribbean.
“It seems … that we are all colonies of the Yankee empire,” said President Ortega, “that there is a king there, and that he decides when we meet. The king decides whom he invites… We cannot be asking the Yankee or begging him that we want to go to his Summit. No, we are not interested in its Summit.”
In addition, Cuba and Venezuela have repeatedly criticized the interfering actions of the United States in their internal and international affairs, along with its illegal and criminal economic blockade aimed at weakening their independent policies.
President Ortega, leader of the Sandinista National Liberation Front of Nicaragua, praised the solidarity of Latin American presidents faced with the exclusion of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela from the summit. Bolivia and Mexico announced that their highest representatives would not attend the summit if all the countries of the region are not invited. Spokespeople of the CARICOM countries expressed the same intention. In addition, Honduras, Argentina and Chile have condemned Washington’s exclusionary policy.
Countries with right-wing governments such as Brazil and Guatemala have even expressed hesitation. On Tuesday, May 17, Guatemala’s President Giammattei said that he would not attend, and a representative of Jair Bolsonaro’s government suggested that Brazil’s head of state may not attend.
Featured image: Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Photo: HispanTV.
(HispanTV) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
