The United States ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, defended this Wednesday at a conference in Washington the international relevance of Latin America and the Caribbean and has demanded that the region have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. that represents her. Before an audience that brought together representatives of government, civil organizations and private companies, the speakers stressed the need for public-private alliances to promote the development of the region. The Venezuelan opposition participated in the conference, warning of the risk of a new migratory avalanche if the president, Nicolás Maduro, remains in office.
A permanent representation of Latin America in the Security Council would require a reform of the body that the United States, itself a permanent member and with the right to veto, would support, according to the ambassador. Thomas-Greenfield stressed that the United States is the main trading partner in Latin America, with 1.5 trillion dollars a year in exchange, and complained about those who believe that her country does not pay due attention to the region.
“I hear it every day in New York. “They believe that we only focus on Russia’s brutal aggression in Ukraine, on the Middle East conflict and on the competition with China,” he criticized during the 54th Washington Conference for the Americas. The meeting was held at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington and was attended by civil leaders and administrations from the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean.
The ambassador stressed the importance of defending democracy and security in Latin America and expressed her concern about the case of Haiti. She recalled that while she was attending the funeral of assassinated President Jovenel Moïse, she started a shooting and had to return. “Since then I often think about those who couldn’t get out,” she said. She also pointed out that 63 million Latinos live in the United States, which links them to the economic and political development of their countries of origin.
The defense of democracy and security in the region were two of the factors mentioned as requirements to ensure greater investment by US companies in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is emerging as an alternative partner to China. “Anyone prefers to do business with the United States than with China, what happens is that there is a problem of economic integration,” said Christopher Dodd, special advisor of the United States for the Americas. “This is a region that requires a lot of private investment. We are here to support it,” said Brian Nichols, the assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs of the United States, at the opening.
The example of Costa Rica and the alliance with the United States to manufacture semiconductors was recurring to show investment opportunities in other countries. Michelle Giuda, CEO of Purdue’s Krach Institute, stressed that there is great potential to invest in Latin America and the Caribbean and that “the important thing is to trust technology,” in reference to the treatment that can be done with data. “It is difficult to invest when the infrastructure is made in China,” she said.
Join EL PAÍS to follow all the news and read without limits.
Subscribe
The vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean of the World Bank, Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, was skeptical about the implications that the development of artificial intelligence may have in the region. ”This technology is moving at a speed that countries cannot keep up with,” he warned. Technology is one of the sectors that needs the most investment, as the region lags behind among developing countries. Only 37% of the population has internet at home.
The electoral campaign in Venezuela
The political stability and legal security demanded by future investors takes on more prominence this year due to the electoral processes that are going to be held. The newly named opposition candidate in the Venezuelan presidential elections, Edmundo González, and former candidate María Corina Machado denounced the difficulties they are suffering in the campaign. By videoconference, Corina Machado stressed that nine members of her team remain imprisoned and that several are threatened and in hiding. The previous candidate, banned by the Government of Nicolás Maduro from running in the elections, explained that she is not allowed to leave the country or take a national flight.
At the same time, he warned of the international consequences that Maduro’s re-election may have, in relation to possible alliances with Russia and Iran. Likewise, he predicted that if the Venezuelan president continues in office through electoral fraud, a greater immigration crisis will occur. “In less than a year we are going to have two, three, four or five million Venezuelans leaving in the largest migratory wave we have seen so far,” he predicted.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Luis Gilberto Murillo, announced that the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, is working so that the candidates agree to a commitment to accept the results of the elections and maintain stability in Venezuela. He recalled that the fact of sharing a border and the fact that almost three million Venezuelans have emigrated to the neighboring country makes Colombia one of the countries most affected by the crisis in Venezuela.
During the Conference, the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, was honored by receiving the Leadership in the Americas Award for promoting regional security, supporting democracy and fighting corruption since taking office in 2020. The president assured the “full impartiality” of the executive branch so that the elections that the country will hold on May 19 are free. In turn, he highlighted the prominence that the Dominican Republic will enjoy next year, when the Summit of the Americas is held in Santo Domingo.
Follow all the international information on Facebook and xor in our weekly newsletter.
#United #States #supports #Latin #America #permanent #member #Security #Council