The president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arevalorejected this Monday the incorporation of Russia as an observer of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen), approved by the regional forum last week.
On Sunday, Panama had spoken out against the decision of the plenary session of the Talk to uswhich approved the request of the State Duma and the Federal Council of the Russian Federation to be an observer of this forum based in Guatemala City.
The government of the Republic considers inconsistent the integration of a State that does not respect the norms of international law into the Central American Parliament,” Arévalo said at a press conference.
The president stated that Russia’s entry violates “the norms and principles established in the Tegucigalpa Charter” of 1991, which declared Central America a region of peace, democracy, freedom and development.
Most Central American governments have spoken out in favor of Ukraine in its war against Russia, except Nicaragua, which supports Moscow.
Arévalo also attacked Ortega, stating that he violates the “fundamental rights” of Nicaraguans.
“The position of the government of Guatemala regarding the situation in Nicaragua is clear and forceful: we are against a situation where fundamental rights are not respected, where the political rights of the population have been violated,” said the social democratic president. Guatemalan.
He recalled that Guatemala received on September 5 “the 135 Nicaraguan brothers who were released from arbitrary prison by the Ortega government,” after mediation by the United States.
For now, ratification by Russia and Parlacen is missing for the incorporation to be completed, a process that could take about eight months, according to the forum’s press office.
Russia, which has close ties of cooperation with Nicaragua, expressed in 2018 its interest in being an observer of Parlacen, made up of deputies from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic.
Costa Rica and Belize are not part of the forum created in 1991, which has Mexico, Morocco, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and China as observers (whose entry in 2023 at the proposal of Nicaragua led to Taiwan’s withdrawal).
