US President Joe Biden, in his keynote speech at the Summits of the Americas, which has been boycotted by many leaders in the region over disagreements with Washington, said differences can be resolved in democracy “with mutual respect and dialogue.”

In Los Angeles, home to the largest Hispanic community in the United States, the president declared democracy “a key ingredient of the future.”

“Our region is wide and diverse. We don’t always agree on everything, but in democracy we approach our differences with mutual respect and dialogue,” he said.

This summit was marked by the absence of some heads of state, particularly Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia and Honduras.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has criticized the White House for excluding the governments of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, which it had not invited because Washington thought it did not live up to democratic standards.

AMLO sent out Secretary of State Marcelo Ebrard, who declared to his colleagues that exclusion was a “strategic mistake” and that Mexico wanted to “restore order among the Americas”. “It is clear that the OAS and its course of action are exhausted,” he said of the Organization of American States.

“Democracy is the hallmark of our region,” the president said at the opening of the summit, which was celebrated with music and the participation of youth and children, as outlined in the Democratic Charter of the Americas.

Biden attended the ceremony along with First Lady Jill.

US President Biden urged attendees, including representatives from civil society and business, to “unite around bold ideas and ambitious action and show our people that the incredible power of democracies is delivering tangible benefits and improving everyone’s lives.”

“It is no longer just a question of what the United States will do for the Americas? The question is what we can achieve by working together as true partners with diverse skills, but with mutual and equal respect, recognizing our individual sovereignty and responsibilities.” continued..

“Safe and Orderly” Migration

During the speech, he highlighted the announcement of an Americas partnership for economic prosperity to promote more inclusive growth in the region, especially after the covid pandemic has done so much damage in Latin America.

He also talked about the Migration Declaration he plans to make on Friday, with an “innovative” approach to managing the problem and sharing responsibility.

It represents a mutual commitment to invest in regional solutions that “enhance stability” and “increase opportunities for safe and orderly migration” and crack down on human trafficking.

The Democratic president is trying to resolve an immigration crisis that could cost his party control of Congress in the November midterm elections.

For several weeks now, about 7,500 undocumented immigrants have been trying to cross the US-Mexico border, most of them from Central American countries, as well as Haiti, Venezuela and Cuba. They try to escape poverty and violence.

As caravans of thousands of migrants move north from Mexico, Biden said: “Safe and orderly immigration is good for all of our economies, including the United States. It can be a catalyst for sustainable growth, but irregular immigration is unacceptable.” said. United States of America.

The influx of migration is also the result of the pandemic, which has plunged 22 million more people into poverty in just one year, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “brutal and unreasonable war” against Ukraine that has made the lives of senior families difficult. food prices.

Since Monday, the US government has made several announcements to try to gain the trust of Latin American countries.

On Wednesday, it announced the creation of a new Health Alliances of America to improve the training of 500,000 healthcare workers in the region, drawing on the lessons of the covid-19 pandemic.

At the same time, he proposes an “ambitious reform” of the Continental Development Bank (IDB) and trying to acquire an equity stake in IDB to invest in private sector loans and direct them “where they have the greatest impact.”

Washington on Tuesday announced the launch of a new “Digital Network” for Latin America, along with $1.9 billion in private investment to stimulate job creation and curb immigration.

Biden and Bolsonaro meeting

Biden is taking advantage of the summit to hold bilateral talks, including a scheduled meeting with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters that the election issue is on the agenda and that Biden will talk about “open, free, fair, transparent and democratic elections” in Brazil.

Bolsonaro, an ally of former US President Donald Trump, has questioned the outcome of the election that gave Biden victory in 2020 and hurt relations between Washington and Brazil.