Dominican Republic says Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela will not be invited to Summit of the Americas

The Dominican Republic has declared that Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela will not receive invitations to the Tenth Summit of the Americas, set to take place on December 4–5, 2025, in Punta Cana. The decision, announced by the country’s foreign ministry on Tuesday, aims to ensure the event’s smooth operation and maximize participation in a politically charged regional environment. The Dominican government, which currently holds the pro tempore presidency of the summit, framed the exclusion as a multilateral decision aligned with the participation criteria of the Organization of American States (OAS). The ministry highlighted that the three nations are not OAS members and did not attend the previous summit in 2022. The move is intended to foster a broad and inclusive political dialogue among attendees. Despite the exclusion, the Dominican Republic emphasized that its bilateral relations with Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela remain intact. It described ties with Cuba as ‘historic, strong, and excellent,’ relations with Nicaragua as ‘cordial,’ and reiterated concerns over recent Venezuelan elections, which it has not recognized. Cuba’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodríguez, criticized the decision, labeling it exclusionary and warning that a summit built on such principles is ‘doomed to fail.’ The Tenth Summit of the Americas is expected to gather leaders, private-sector representatives, and civil-society actors to address regional challenges in development and security. Observers are closely monitoring whether the decision will impact attendance or provoke diplomatic responses in the lead-up to the event.