“We are living through hard times Latin Americay We have the responsibility, as heads of state, to move the region forward“. The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboaaddressed the plenary session of the XXIX Ibero-American Summit with an attempt to equally dilute the responsibilities of the moment of political decline of that space among all its participants. Of the 22 heads of State and Government summoned in Cuenca, 360 kilometers from Quito, only they heard him Felipe VI, on behalf of Spain, and the presidents of Portugal and Andorra, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Xavier Espot Zamora, respectively. The other seats were empty and it was not in vain that the Ecuadorian event began to be called the “summit of absences” at the highest level.
Some leaders prioritized attending the meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), in Peru, which coincided on the calendar with the Ecuadorian event. Brazil, meanwhile, is preparing the summit of the G20 which opens on Monday in Rio de Janeiro. But a kind of political punishment has also fallen on Noboa, and not only for having ordered the invasion of the Mexican embassy to kidnap former vice president Jorge Glas, who was in the diplomatic legation as an exile, but because of the derogatory statements he made months ago against other regional presidents. Both, the bilateral crises that Venezuela is going through with Colombia and Brazil after the controversial elections on July 28 that officially gave victory to Nicolas Maduro have contributed to reducing the presence of statesmen to an unprecedented minimum.
“More than hard (moments)… I would say they are complexand as heads of state we have the responsibility to move forward a region affected by transnational crime, climate change, droughts, and also by abandonment,” Noboa told the attendees.
The meeting was held under the motto of ‘Innovation, inclusion and sustainability’. The host president called to address a problem that is core in Ecuador such as youth unemployment and the ability of crime to co-opt them. “How not to worry about offering a promising future to our youth to ensure a better future? For this reason, we must promote policies that encourage public and private investments, and allocate resources to education, to forge a better future for youth,” in a tone more in line with the electoral campaign that will begin in January in that country. Noboa, who He has just dismissed his vice president, Sariha Moya, and aspires to be re-elected.
Son of one of the richest men in that country, the banana magnate Álvaro Noboa, the young president, 36 years old, considered that it is necessary to open “paths towards equitable economic growth” in the region. In this sense, he praised the approval of the Commitment to Employability during the XV Ibero-American Business Meeting, an agreement to promote collaboration with the private sector.
“Together we are stronger and only with coordinated efforts can we turn our differences into strengths, generating a space in which all citizens of Ibero-America have access to the same opportunities, without discrimination,” he said in conclusion.
The words of the King and Albares
Felipe VI made a specific appeal, given the evidence that so many interlocutors were missing. Despite the “differences” that may arise between Ibero-American countries, “there is much more that unites us than what separates us.” The King, who had previously held a bilateral meeting with Noboa, indicated that the discrepancies that may arise are “natural in a rich and long relationship.” However, he considered that it is necessary “know how to overcome” the lack of consensus.
The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Jose Manuel Albaresrecalled in this regard that “Summits are a space for dialogue and identity from mutual respect.” And, along the same lines, he called to make “an effort to dilute differences that may affect us and to work for our societies.” In a world that will experience political transformations with the arrival of Donald Trump to the White House, starting next January 20, Ibero-America, he stressed, must strengthen its position in the international space.
This Friday, Spain assumed the so-called ‘Pro tempore’ Secretariat of the Summit and will organize its 2026 edition. “We will exercise this high responsibility with the conviction of someone who deeply believes in the path taken, but is also aware of how much remains to be done,” the Monarch said in this regard. And he added: “In this dizzying time that we live in, of great complexity for multilateralism, “It is when we most need to redouble our efforts and not give up our efforts to continue working to consolidate and redouble our efforts.”
