THE XXIX Ibero-American Summitwhich was held in the Ecuadorian city of Cuenca, was closed this Friday without an official declaration due to the lack of consensus between the 19 participating countries, out of the 22 that make up the Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking group, in which also there was no representation from Mexico, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
All countries except Argentinaagreed to support a document that included, among other things, support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and public policies on gender equality and combating climate change, as they said. Efe sources of negotiations.
Furthermore, the Cuban delegation opposed the approval of a declaration that did not contain an explicit condemnation of the blockade of the island by the United States, as desired by the Argentine representation.
The Argentinian Ambassador Edward Acevedoexpressed the refusal of the government of Javier Milei to sign these articles and, in exchange, proposed that the 19 sign a document that included only the issues of mutual agreement, to which Cuba and the rest of the countries opposed.
According to Acevedo, Argentina was willing to approve 71 of the 72 paragraphs of the (failed) Cuenca Declaration and 17 of the 24 special communiqués.
Difficulties in signing a consensus document prolonged discussions on the first day of the summit, when foreign ministers met behind closed doors to prepare the document for heads of state and government to sign on the second and final day from the top. , reserved in principle only for the leaders of the countries, but on this occasion it had to be open to representatives of lower rank, due to the absence of virtually all Latin American presidentsexcept the host.
Finally, the contradictory positions of Argentina and Cuba prevented an official declaration from being adopted by the 19 countries present at the summit.
“It does not seem prudent, in view of the future of the summits, for a few countries to harm the interests of the region,” he said in statements to Efe the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama, Javier Martínez-Acha.
“We need to find a way that, when there is broad consensus, we can make progress. And if there is a country that disagrees, let their position be left at the bottom of the page, while of course respecting these sensitivities,” added the head of Panamanian diplomacy.
Spain takes over
Spain took over from Ecuador to organize in 2026 what will be the XXX Ibero-American Summit with the objective, as recognized by the King Philip VIto recover “mind and illusion” of the first summits due to the loss of interest on the part of the States.
The monarch was tasked with recovering the secretariat from Ecuador temporarythat Spain will exercise over the next two years to prepare for the next summit, the fourth that it will host since Madrid in 1992, Salamanca in 2005 and Cádiz in 2012, in a city yet to be determined, and which will be “very symbolic” , coinciding with the 35th anniversary of the former.
“I assume, on behalf of Spain and its government, with enthusiasm, responsibility and pragmatism, this testimony from your hands,” the monarch declared to the President of Ecuador. Daniel Noboaconfident that he and the other States will accompany and support Spain in the preparation of the event, in which he invited them to actively participate.
“Together we must once again, ensure political dynamics of this unique forum of dialogue, agreement and political cooperation at the highest level”, affirmed the King, who pronounced these words in Portuguese, in a gesture towards Portugal, whose president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa participated in the summit, and Brazil.
The King reaffirmed the Spain’s “decided commitment” with “this beloved Ibero-American Community of Nations” and clearly indicated that what is needed is to rediscover for the 2026 meeting “the spirit and enthusiasm that inspired the founding summits, as an expression of the deep affection and fraternity between our peoples”.
In this sense, he recalled the desire to “project the strength” of the Ibero-American community expressed in Guadalajara by the leaders of the time into the third millennium and affirmed that “we will soon be able adapt the summit system to the challenges of the present“, with a hopeful look at the future and the desire to transmit to new generations this precious commitment to the Ibero-American space” to bequeath them “an instrument of change and opportunities.”
