Cuba denounces US decision to exclude them from the Tenth Summit of the Americas

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, translated from the Spanish

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba expresses its profound concern and categorical rejection of the decision by the Government of the United States to exclude three countries, including Cuba, from the Tenth Summit of the Americas, scheduled for December 4 and 5 in Punta Cana.

This decision constitutes a clear capitulation to the brutal unilateral pressures exerted by the U.S. Secretary of State.

By excluding multiple countries, the summit system risks a historic regression, making it impossible to achieve a respectful and productive dialogue between Latin America, the Caribbean, and the imperial power, which is once again resorting to “gunboat diplomacy” and the Monroe Doctrine against our region.

If this decision stands, it will lead to subordination and submission to a voracious and expansionist neighbor, endangering regional peace, security, and stability., in direct contravention of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace and the community of independent, sovereign states exercising their right to self-determination and unity in diversity.

As President Miguel Díaz-Canel declared in February 2025: “Today, the Government of the United States seeks to determine the options for the countries of the region: submit or become the target of aggression.”

It should be noted that this exclusion disregards the progress achieved at previous summits, where Cuba’s participation was a historic milestone. It also overlooks the almost unanimous protest from the region, which was strongly demonstrated at the unsuccessful Los Angeles Summit by the absence of several Heads of State and Government, along with the statements made by 18 Heads of State and Government and 11 Foreign Ministers.

A Summit of the Americas built on exclusion and coercion is doomed to failure. There can be no meaningful discussion of “political dialogue” between Our America and the United States based on censorship, exclusion, inequity, or abuse.

We reaffirm our commitment to engage in respectful and constructive dialogue grounded in sovereign equality and without exclusions.

Addressing the Seventh Summit of the Americas in Panama in April 2015, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz stated: “Hemispheric relations, in my opinion, must undergo profound change, particularly in the political, economic, and cultural spheres, so that they focus on developing mutually beneficial ties and cooperation grounded in international law, self-determination, and sovereign equality.”

Ten years later, the reality of hemispheric relations remains unchanged.

Havana, September 30, 2025

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