Cuba: US wants to exclude country from summit

Cuba warned Monday the United States intends to exclude the island nation from the upcoming Summit of the Americas aimed at negotiating a plan of action on key issues for the region such as health, migration, and human rights.

The ninth Summit of the Americas will take place from June 8 to 10 in Los Angeles. According to Rodríguez, many Latin American countries are feeling pressure from Washington, particularly on migration issues.

Cuba and the United States held a round of direct migration talks last week, the first in four years, which were considered positive by both governments.

Rodríguez highlighted the role of the US sanctions as the principal cause of the island's economic crisis, which is causing many of its young people to seek to leave.

The Summit of the Americas was created as a regional coordination mechanism in 1994, but excluded Cuba until the summit in Panama in 2015.