An inconvenient moment for Gabriel Boric at the Convention of the Americas: he criticized the United States, but within minutes he had to rectify
Gabriel Boric went through a moment of discomfort during a speech he gave at the Convention of the Americas. The president of Chile has criticized the United States for this presumed absence at an eventbut in a few minutes had to retract after being told White House Representative John Kerry was present.
The president was speaking in the framework of the launch of the Coalition for the Protection of the Oceanwhen it asked China, India and the United States to join the initiative which includes Canada, Mexico and six other countries in the region.
“If we are able to use our leadership to protect what belongs to all of humanity, because it is not just about our countries, but all of humanity, we will make a decisive contribution and we can say more ownership to developed countries, such as the United States, which is not present herelike the European Union, like China and like India, who have a duty to do more to protect our environment, “said Boric.
Gabriel Boric was warned by his team of his mistake and corrected himself. Photo: video capture.
According to the newspaper Thirdit was the Chilean Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola, who quickly realized the mistake and had a piece of paper handed over to the President to inform him that the representative of the United States, former Foreign Minister John Kerry, was present, and a few meters away.
“Sorry, a little correction from me (…) The United States is here, with John Kerry. And this is also extremely important to us. Canada and the US are part of the G7 and I have no doubt that from that leadership we will be able to push the rest of the developed countries to join this as well, ”Boric said to get out of the way.
After the rectification of the Chilean president, it was Kerry who took the floor and made a little joke to conclude the episode. “Thank you very much, Mr President Boric, to each President and to the foreign ministers. I just have a question: Where’s the beer? “Kerry said, making the whole room laugh.
What is the Coalition for the Protection of the Ocean
Nine Pacific-coasted American countries, including the United States, formed an “Ocean Protection Coalition” on Thursday, from Alaska to Patagonia, a initiative launched by Chile as part of its “turquoise” diplomacy..
“We are celebrating multilateralism and the opportunity that dialogue offers us to build a better world. Oceans are the main natural sinks of carbon and, as such, play a crucial role in the effects of climate change,” Boric said. sign the agreement.
The leaders of Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, the foreign ministers of Canada and Mexico, as well as the special envoy for the climate of the US presidency, John Kerry, joined the initiative of Chile.
Leaders attend the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, where the environmental protection is a key issue.
“We must work better to protect our seas because marine species know no borders (…) It is a cooperation agreement. We have established common protection areasn. It is not a question of not exploiting marine resources, it is a question of exploiting these resources rationally and sustainably, “Costa Rican President Rodrigo Cháves, one of the signatories to the agreement, told AFP.
With information from the AFP agency and the La Tercera newspaper
Source: Clarin