The countries of the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) condemned the war in Ukraine in the final declaration of the two-day summit in Brussels this Tuesday (07/18/2023). Despite enormous diplomatic efforts, the Nicaraguan delegation could not be persuaded to submit to the sentencing.
“This declaration was supported by all countries except one country, which was unable to sign it because of a paragraph,” said European Council President Charles Michel at the press conference after the summit. The European Union insisted on including in the final text a mention of Ukraine, which has been facing a Russian invasion since February 2022.
The issue dominated negotiations throughout the summit, with initial refusals by Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua to condemn the Russian invasion setting the tone. As negotiations progressed, Havana and Caracas accepted an outright condemnation of the invasion and Nicaragua was left alone in its rejection, as it had already done in the UN General Assembly and voted against the resolutions.
“A Complete Success”
“Of course we discussed a lot about the fact that everyone wants this war to end and that peace has to be permanent and that it has to be based on the UN Charter,” said European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen. The deadlock in negotiations on a consensus formula made it clear how difficult it is to agree on positions between the EU, a highly institutionalized bloc, and a heterogeneous 33-country forum such as CELAC.
Nonetheless, the interim Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, considered the summit, which was intended as an opportunity to revitalize relations after eight years without meetings, as “a complete success” and stressed that “the unanimity is almost…” 60 countries impossible, not even in the European Union of 27 countries it is always possible to agree on everyone.”
The Ukraine debate has sidelined a key investment announcement by the European bloc, as well as a French-arranged meeting between the Venezuelan government and the opposition, as well as trade debates and challenges such as climate change. The meeting was also weighed down by a debate sponsored by Caribbean countries about reparations from European powers for centuries of colonialism and slavery.
DZC (EFE, AFP)