"The Government of Colombia, like other countries that have ignored the de facto power that Nicolas Maduro exercises in Venezuela as a result of the presidential election of May 20, 2018 … expresses its rejection of his participation in the VI Summit of Heads of State and Government of Celac," the Colombian Foreign Ministry said in a Saturday statement.
The ministry claimed that the Maduro administration has departed from democratic principles and human rights and has been ignoring the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who also participated in the Saturday CELAC summit, commented on Colombia’s reaction saying on Twitter that "Colombia is fleeing from Celac and is more isolated than ever in its warmongering."
Uruguay and Paraguay have also voiced dissatisfaction over Maduro’s participation in the CELAC summit in Mexico.
CELAC was launched in December 2011 and is made up of 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Mexico currently holds CELAC’s temporary presidency and has been aiming to reshape the intergovernmental mechanism as an alternative to the Organization of American States (OAS) regional bloc.