Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela supported Castillo’s self-coup and expressed their solidarity with Cristina Kirchner

The dictatorships of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela supported the self-coup Pedro Castillo in Peru and expressed their solidarity with the vice president of Argentina, Cristina Kirchner, convicted of corruption. Within the framework of the summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA)joined ranks to denounce in Havana the “interference” and “campaigns” to destabilize the leftist governments in the region.

The meeting, which was held for the organization’s 18th anniversary, served as an excuse to express the concern of leaders such as Luis Arcefrom Bolivia; Nicolas Maduro, from Venezuela; Y Miguel Diaz-Canel, from Cuba; of “harassment” against “candidates” and progressive governments by the US as well as “undemocratic sectors”.

This summit was held behind closed doors in the Palace of the Revolution and its agenda was not public. However, its main leaders showed their cards when speaking in front of the Cuban parliament in an extraordinary session that was held before the start of the summit and that was attended by the former Cuban head of state Raul Castro.

The complaint made at the Palace of Conventions in the island capital was also a tacit support for the vice president of Argentina, Cristina Kirchner; and the now former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo. This was stated in writing in a joint statement.

The first was sentenced to six years in prison and life disqualification for fraudulent administration of public funds, and the second was dismissed accused of attempting a failed coup and has a prosecutor’s request for 18 months of preventive detention.

“We reject the destabilizing plans and actions driven by powerful external factors and national oligarchies, who have achieved or attempt to ignore the will of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, expressed democratically and legitimately at the polls,” the statement said.

And he continues: “We denounce the use of strategies of unconventional warfare against the governments and democratically elected leaders of the region, using the use of judicial processes that are politically motivated and without legal support (lawfare)to destroy political and ideological rivals”.

“In this sense, we express our firmest rejection of the politically motivated legal actions against the fellow Vice President of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchnerkey leader of the integration processes of Latin America and the Caribbean”.

Regarding the situation in Peru, they indicated: “We reject the political framework created by the right-wing forces of Peru against the constitutional president Pedro Castillo, forcing him to take measures that were later used by his opponents in parliament to remove him”.

In his speech, the president of Bolivia, Luis Arceindicated: “Foreign interference, political instability and disrespect for the will of the majority continue to be the main threats that attack the region,” he said, referring to the situation in the other two nations.

The Bolivian president added that what alarms him the most is “the vile use” of “the powers of the State for political purposes”, alluding to the “impeachment attempts” of the Peruvian Congress against Castle and the judicial process against Fernandez de Kirchner.

Regarding the former Argentine president, Díaz-Canel added that “The imperialism” stimulates “politically motivated legal proceedings“against left-wing politicians”like the one that takes place against Vice President Cristina Fernández so that we send her a big hug and all the support”.

He stressed that “the oligarchies“group in support of politicians”with fascist-oriented programs to prevent the electoral triumph of the left”.

For his part, the Venezuelan dictator, Nicolas MaduroHe limited himself to speaking about the members of ALBA themselves, who, in his opinion, have endured “conspiracies, attacks, internal and external campaigns.” Maduro asked the members of ALBA to reconcretize their alliance in practical projects, beyond political discourse.

“(ALBA) can have a sense for joint action, and it is what we permanently claim, the need for our space -which was born as an anti-neoliberal, anti-capitalist space- to truly resume the momentum of large projects”, declared the Venezuelan, who did not point out any particular initiative.

This was also expressed by Díaz-Canel, who said that “the promotion of integration” is necessary.

The Caribbean island hosted a similar event last May, where Arce proposed creating two transnational companies for the joint production of medicines and food, taking advantage of the “potentials” of the different countries of the alliance.

On that occasion, the member countries of the forum criticized the United States for excluding Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the Summit of the Americaswhich was held days later in Los Angeles.

ALBA currently has ten members: Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Venezuela; and three special guests (Haiti, Syria and Suriname).

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