The annual meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) begins this Wednesday in Lima with its eyes on Nicaragua and the war in Ukraine.
About 30 delegations from the continent (among them that of Colombia and that will be chaired by the Chancellor) will discuss several resolution and declaration projects, mainly on the political crisis and of human rights in Nicaraguaas well as the serious situation in Haiti.
There will also be debates on Venezuelan migration and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that causes headaches in Washington and threatens food security in Latin America.
“We expect strong support from all OAS member states in the resolution on Ukraine, on Haiti, Nicaragua,” said US diplomacy for the Americas, Brian Nichols.
On March 25, the OAS called for an end to possible “war crimes” in Ukraine, in a resolution supported by 28 of the 34 active members of the regional bloc, and on April 21 suspended Russia as a permanent observer.
Another issue that may fly over the debates in Lima is the process of electing the new president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), opened last week after the dismissal of the American Mauricio Claver-Carone.
His appointment in 2020, at the impulse of the then US president donald trumpbroke the tradition of the IDB being led by a Latin American.
The OAS is the main political forum on the continent and depends on Washington for its annual budget for more than 50 percent.
The president of Peru, Professor Pedro Castillo, and the Secretary General of the OAS, the Uruguayan Luis Almagro, will open the conclave in Lima in the afternoon, which will be joined by the Secretary of State Antony Blinken this Thursday.
The 52nd General Assembly of the OAS “occurs at a difficult time in terms of the accumulation of problems and in the middle of the urgency of cooperation,” Manuel Orozco, an inter -American dialogue, told AFP, a study center in Washington.
“The Nicaraguan situation is a very extreme challenge given the self -toaislation of the Ortega regime, which avoids respecting international agreements, being part of the inter -American system and managing multilateral or bilateral relationships,” he added.
The OAS must also examine a declaration on the situation of human rights in Venezuela, Nichols said. Other topics on the agenda were proposed by Peru, such as the fight against discrimination, which stirs the waters in Lima. The Annual Assembly ends this Friday.
AFP
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