Mexican President Shuts Down Biden's Summit Invitation

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador confirmed Monday that he refused President Joe Biden’s invitation to attend the Summit of the Americas later this week.

The event hosted by Biden will focus in part on the migration crisis. Lopez Obrador had threatened to boycott the Summit should Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua be excluded.

Lopez Obrador officially rejected the invitation to attend the event after he learned of the decision to exclude the countries. The Mexican president specifically cited Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua’s exclusion as his reason for not attending.

“There cannot be a summit if all countries are not invited,” he said Lopez Obrador said. “Or there can be one, but that is to continue with all politics of interventionism.”

A spokesperson for Lopez Obrador said he would send his foreign minister in his stead. Still, the Mexican president’s decision to forgo the summit sends a message.

Argentina and Honduras have indicated they would support Lopez Obrador’s move. The situation prompted Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to call the countries to smooth things over.

The Biden administration cited human rights issues and a lack of democracy for excluding Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua from the Summit.