Cuba Participation in Summit of Americas Widely Backed

The decision to invite Cuba to the Summit of the Americas had a massive support, Panamanian Foreign Minister Isabel de Saint Malo said in an interview to the local newspaper La Estrella de Panama releases today.

President Juan Carlos Varela took the decision to invite the Caribbean nation, an issue that was on the table at the last Summit held in Cartagena, where there was even absent countries because Cuba was not invited, she said.

Some countries reacted with joy, perhaps other more wisely, but ultimately Panama’s decision was well received and has not had a single country that has said it will not be present, she stated.

Everything possible has been done so the Summit is a success, the also vice president said after assessing preparations.

Our country continues its historic vocation of promoting dialogue and convergence because there are some moments in the country’s history in which Panama played that role and this government retook it hard, she said.

We could talk of a more polarized region, but that situation is also a part of democracy and differences are legitimate, but it does not impede coincidences, above all when we focus on the main themes of this Summit, De Saint Malo said.

The citizens from all American countries, regardless of the policy position of their rulers, have the same concerns, aspirations and desires, which are better days for their families, children and grandchildren, she said. The issue of Venezuela has been discussed in the Organization of American States (OAS) and it is recognized as a topic that is the focus of the region in this moment, but it is not that of the Summit.