| 7th Summit of the Americas VII Cumbre de las Américas | |
|---|---|
 | |
.jpg) Family photograph | |
| Host country | Panama |
| Date | April 10–11, 2015 |
| Cities | Panama City |
| Follows | 6th Summit of the Americas |
| Precedes | 8th Summit of the Americas |
Theseventh Summit of the Americas was held atPanama City,Panama, on April 10 – 11, 2015.[1]
TheSummits of the Americas are a continuing series of summits bringing together the leaders of the Americas includingNorth America (which includesCentral America andthe Caribbean) andSouth America. The function of these summits is to foster discussion of a variety of issues affecting the western hemisphere under the aegis of theOrganization of American States. In the early 1990s, what were formerlyad hoc summits came to be institutionalised into a regular "Summits of the Americas" conference programme.[2]
At the6th Summit of the Americas numerous leaders across the political spectrum said that the next summit must include Cuba. TheALBA states also added that they would boycott a summit without Cuba's presence. A final declaration at the summit was also held up over the issue of Cuba.
Cuba, along with the United States, attended the seventh Summit of the Americas in Panama.[3] Given the pledge by ALBA member states to boycott the summit if Cuba was not invited, political controversy brewed as it transpired that Panama's government issued an invitation to the Summit. State Department spokesmanJen Psaki implicitly cautioned that Cuba's attendance of the summit would make a mockery of the spirit of theInter-American Democratic Charter.[4] For their part, Cuban-American senatorsBob Menendez andMarco Rubio urged Panama to withdraw the invitation for Cuba to attend the summit, insisting that the move could be a slap in the face to the principles of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.[5][6] However, another State Department official hinted that the US would tacitly welcome Cuba's participation in the 2015 Summit of the Americas.[7] Following the announcement on December 17, 2014 of a shift towards normalization of relations with Cuba, the US Government dropped its objections to Cuba's presence while calling for the participation of Cubancivil society groups.[8] Before the summit, the daughter ofOswaldo Payá, Rosa Maria Payá, was detained upon arriving at an airport in Panama; a second activist from Argentina also said they were detained.[9]
The summit had ananti-American tone, according to theAssociated Press.[10]
While the Summit of the Americas occurred in Panama, other events were held; one was attended by former American PresidentBill Clinton, and another was held in Panama City at theFlorida International University campus.[11]
Another summit called the Summit of the Peoples (Cumbre de los Pueblos), which was held atUniversity of Panama on April 9–11, 2015 with the participation of trade unions, organizations of farmers, indigenous people, students, human rights activists, environmentalists, and feminists among others. At some parts of this event there also attendedPresident of BoliviaEvo Morales,President of EcuadorRafael Correa andPresident of VenezuelaNicolás Maduro.[12]
| Preceded by | Summits of the Americas 2015 Panama City,Panama | Succeeded by |
