CELAC-EU Declaration Plagued By Objections From US Allies
On Sunday, the Fourth Summit between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU) issued a joint declaration. The 52-paragraph document was signed by 32 of the 33 CELAC countries. Venezuela was the only country that decided not to sign it.
At the end of the document, seven countries—Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago—presented formal objections to critical paragraphs. They distanced themselves from positions reaffirming the region as a Zone of Peace, condemning the genocide in Gaza, and demanding an end to the economic blockade against Cuba, among others.
The declaration also includes paragraph number 14 regarding the Ukrainian conflict, which appears to respond more to the interests of the European Union than to those of the Latin American countries. It was not questioned by any of the signatories.