The United States will attend the US Summit with Cuba and Venezuela

United States Juan Gonzalez, President Joe Biden’s key adviser to Latin America, has promised that he will “certainly” attend the future summit of the United States, in which the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua will be invited, as long as it is not on the US border. .

In an interview with EFE at the end of the IX Summit in the United States Angels, Washington is ready to talk to them, but Gonzalez backed Biden’s controversial decision to exclude all three countries, arguing that calling their leaders to the United States would have been a “contradiction.”

We have seen very harsh statements from leaders like Argentina and Belize who consider the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua unacceptable. What were the personal conversations on this subject during the summit? Has there been any slight improvement in disagreements?

The democratic community of the region will gather here and be covered by the press in an open way to discuss these issues, it should be; And this is the community of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, rights they do not enjoy. That is the most important thing to highlight. Second, the minute the cameras were turned off, the conversation quickly turned to the challenges facing the region, with not only the economy but also inequality (…) being at the center of the summit. In the conversations, even during the leaders’ retreat, little was said about Cuba. No one talks about Nicaragua. But the focus quickly turned to what we could do together to meet the challenges.

Do you think that only Cuba could have fixed this? Mexico’s relationship with Cuba is very important, and Cuba’s presence is an issue discussed at the other summit, and it seems to have already been resolved in 2015 in Panama.

I understand that, but in 2001 the OAS member states reached an agreement that only countries that are supporters of the Constitution would be invited. The most important thing is, how can we call a country when they imprison people for singing and begging for food? You can not fix that kind of (with one thing) call. It does not mean that we are not going to talk to Cuba, because we have changed our policy, we are ready to negotiate with Cuba, we support a dialogue in Venezuela, we tried to talk to Nicaragua, but it was very different. From inviting them here. President (Biden) talks with Putin (his Russian envoy Vladimir), he talked to Putin about the invasion of Ukraine, but he is not going to invite him to Washington.

Would he not invite to Washington, for example, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom Biden plans to meet on a possible visit to Saudi Arabia? Why be in a relationship with some dictatorial leaders, not with others?

They are ‘apple and orange’ (incomparable circumstances). We are going to talk to all kinds of leaders to advance our interests. Advocating for human rights, when expressing our concerns … we are going to talk about it face to face. But that’s one thing and inviting them to Washington (or Los Angeles) is another, especially when we’re holding a summit and talking about how we can respond to the needs of our people. Given just 30 or 40 years in prison for just one song, how are you going to meet the needs of our people? It is a paradox that it is too much for us.

If there is a future US summit in another country outside the United States, will the United States attend the summit if the current leaders of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua are still in power?

Definitely. We are not going to run away from this conversation. The difference is that we are invited as guests to a country that does not respect the basic rights of its own people. Looking at the films that have ruled (Cuba) since July 11 last year and the punishment meted out to young singers under the age of 18, one decision is to invite them here for the presidency. Justify inviting someone (like it) here to a summit we will preside over.

Just as Putin will now meet with the Saudi Crown Prince, Biden will be ready to meet with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Colonel or Venezuelan Nicolas Maduro outside the United States. Is that the logic?

America is always open to dialogue, and if it goes to the level of president, he will obviously consider it; But now we are focusing on the policy of supporting the Cuban people, while at the same time imposing a cost on human rights violations, and supporting a dialogue led by Venezuela to return to democratic order in Nicaragua. All this is not to impose our will, but to advocate for the rights of the same people in these countries so that they have the right to determine the future of their country.

Agreed where is the next summit of the United States? Will it be in 2025?

not yet. There are countries that discuss this. It will be in three years.

Argentine President Alberto Fernandez has invited Biden to attend the next CELAC (Latin American and Caribbean Community) Summit. Will President Biden attend the summit?

We are going to take any request of a leader very seriously and any coordination effort in Latin America and the Caribbean is one that will enhance our interests for us. Let’s see, something to read.