Ibero-American Summit begins in Ecuador with only 3 of 22 leaders invited

On Thursday, Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld inaugurated a meeting with 18 of her peers within the framework of the Ibero-American Summit of Presidents, to which 19 of the 22 invited leaders have not arrived and none from Latin America, except the host Daniel Noboa.

In the inaugural speech, the official assured that this is an opportunity to demonstrate that “we are prepared to continue strengthening our Ibero-American community and transform ideals into actions” that can positively impact the lives of millions of citizens.

He added that it is essential to strengthen ties of unity “to face global challenges” among which he identified international organized crime, the climate crisis, migration and access to technology, among others.

The attending foreign ministers plan to prepare a document that will be signed by the presidents of this forum that takes place in the Andean city of Cuenca, 310 kilometers south of the Ecuadorian capital.

At the meeting, agreed upon two years ago, the King of Spain Felipe VI, the President of Portugal Marcelo Revelo de Souza and Noboa are present and marks a milestone among the least attended summits. One of those that had fewer participants was Colombia in 2016 when 12 leaders were present. The president of Paraguay, Santiago Nieto, excused himself at the last minute from traveling to Ecuador.

Expected absences

These presidential absences are “expected,” he told The Associated Press analyst Grace Jaramillo, from the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada, and explained that this is a consequence of the controversy over the break-in at the Mexican embassy, ​​as well as “Noboa’s negative expressions about his peers in the region that appeared in the newspaper (The) New Yorker of the United States.”

In April, Ecuadorian police forces raided the Mexican embassy to forcibly remove former vice president Jorge Glas, wanted by the Ecuadorian justice system for corruption and whom shortly before that country had given asylum. The invasion caused the rupture of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

“Very little is expected from this summit,” he anticipated and added that “perhaps something on issues of innovation and technology, beyond statements from the members, I don’t think there will be any more progress.”

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