Presidents of Mexico and Colombia To Boycott Summit

Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum announced Monday that she would not attend the Summit of the Americas this December after the Dominican Republic, the event's host, announced that Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua would not be invited.

“We do not agree with the exclusion of any country,” Sheinbaum said.

On Wednesday, Colombia's president Gustavo Petro followed suit: “I will not attend the Summit of the Americas. Dialogue does not begin with exclusions."

According to Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the D.R.'s move to exclude the three countries is a result of “brutal and unilateral pressure” from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The Summit of the Americas has been held every three years since 1994 by the Organization of American States (OAS). Cuba was expelled from the OAS in 1962, while Venezuela and Nicaragua withdrew in 2019 and 2021, respectively. All three have participated in the summit in the past.

Sheinbaum also attributed her decision to the recent floods in Mexico, which have so far killed over 60 people, while Petro referenced U.S. military escalation in the Caribbean as another reason for his refusal to participate.

Sheinbaum’s predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, boycotted the 2022 Summit in Los Angeles after the Biden administration refused to invite the three countries. Several other heads of state also refused to participate.