Azerbaijan again not invited to Summit for Democracy

ArmInfo.The Biden administration has extended invitations to 120 world leaders to  attend next week's Summit for Democracy.

"We re-invited all those governments and partners that were invited  to the first summit in December 2021, and also added eight new  governments from around the world," Special Assistant to the  President of the United States Rob Berschinski  said at a briefing,  Turan reports. Those 8 countries are: Bosnia and Herzegovina,  Liechtenstein, Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Mauritania, Mozambique,  Tanzania and Honduras.

According to Berschinski, the upcoming summit is aimed at  strengthening democratic institutions, fighting corruption and  protecting human rights.

On March 29, Biden, joined by President Chavez of Costa Rica, Prime  Minister Rutte of the Netherlands, President Yoon of the Republic of  Korea, and President Hichilema of the Republic of Zambia, will  convene world leaders in a series of virtual leader-level plenary  sessions. On Thursday, March 30, each government at the highest level  will hold a regional ministerial meeting in their capital, with the  participation of representatives of foreign governments and  non-governmental organizations.

The event, which will take place on March 30 in the United States,  will be dedicated to advancing technology for democracy.

The event in Costa Rica will focus on the role of youth in democratic  systems; an event in the Netherlands will focus on freedom of the  media as a cornerstone of democracy; the South Korean event will be  devoted to the fight against corruption; and an event in Zambia will  focus on supporting free and fair elections. The Biden administration  will also announce next week a number of new democracy and human  rights initiatives. This includes more than $400 million in new and  existing initiatives to support free and independent media, fight  corruption, support democratic reforms and human rights defenders,  and protect free and fair elections.

As for Azerbaijan and others not invited, according to Berschinski,  Washington's message to the people of these countries is clear: "We  would like to tell activists from countries that are not invited that  they are participating in this process in their own way. They, too,  will have the opportunity to participate in promoting the values of  democracy".

"The essence of the Summit for Democracy is to make all participants  who contribute to democracy commit themselves to better promoting its  values and this is not limited to governments," he said 

In 2021, Armenia was represented at the Summit for Democracy at the  level of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.