Disagreement on Russia mars EU-Latin America summit

Nicaragua boycotted the paragraph of the conclusions on Ukraine.

This got here as little shock since its president Daniel Ortega, who has dominated the nation since 2007, was among the many first world leaders to again Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Nicaragua was additionally the one Celac nation which voted in opposition to a UN decision condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and calling for the withdrawal of troops from the nation — whereas Cuba, Bolivia, and El Salvador abstained.

In the meantime, commenting on the watered-down communique, Celac president and prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, informed the press: “Not everybody received the language that they needed.”

However the summit was nonetheless labelled by many EU and Latin American officers as a hit.

“In instances of nice geopolitical change, like-minded buddies like us have to get nearer,” mentioned European Fee president Ursula von der Leyen after the assembly.

‘Rewrite historical past’

The difficulties over the finalisation of the joint communique turned noticeable as leaders confronted the second day of the summit with out an settlement on the conclusions.

Arriving on the summit on Tuesday, Luxemburg prime minister Xavier Bettel mentioned it could be a “disgrace” if the leaders of each areas had been unable to say that there’s Russian aggression in Ukraine.

The summit end result can’t be used to “rewrite historical past”, he mentioned.

“The very fact is that Russia aggressed Ukraine … we’ve got to face the fact,” Bettel added. “If we do not see it as aggression, what’s it?”, he additionally mentioned.

Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar mentioned forward of the assembly that the joint assertion needed to embrace robust language in help of Ukraine.

Generally it’s higher to haven’t any conclusions than to have weak language that doesn’t imply something, he added.

The Chilean minister of overseas affairs Alberto van Klaveren, for his half, had predicted on Tuesday morning {that a} compromise on the difficulty can be “very tough”.

“We’re very stunned that there are members of our [Celac] group which oppose any decision in regards to the battle in Ukraine,” van Klaveren mentioned.

“We expect it is a battle of aggression, that is the place of Chile,” he added.

EU overseas affairs chief Josep Borrell additionally warned that Russia is “utilizing starvation as a weapon” with its resolution to withdraw from the Black Sea grain deal.

“This requires a powerful reply from the worldwide group”, the mentioned.

Watered-down textual content

However Cuba, Venezuela and different nations with pleasant Russia ties, in addition to Nicaragua, dug of their heels because the summit entered its second day, earlier than the ultimate compromise on merely “deep” concern.

The participation of Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela additionally raised issues amongst members of the European Parliament, who highlighted in a decision earlier this month that “autocratic regimes” shouldn’t be invited to such occasions.

The EU-Celac conclusions additionally cite a UN decision which displays on the necessity to carry the financial, industrial and monetary embargo imposed in opposition to Cuba, arguing that its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism has undermined worldwide monetary transactions with the island.

With billboards condemning “dictatorships” in Latin America, a number of NGOs and activists protested on Monday in opposition to the illustration of leaders from locations equivalent to Cuba and Venezuela within the summit.

Nonetheless, MEP Javi Lopez who heads the delegation to the Euro-Latin American parliamentary meeting, informed EUobserver that having an “inclusive” and “consultant” occasion is what made it doable, following eight years of no such conferences.