“We cannot be absent from any meeting where the future of our peoples is discussed, so we appreciate this invitation to Santa Marta, in the Colombian Caribbean,” the member of the Hostosian National Independence Movement (MINH) told Prensa Latina.

Muriente Perez stressed that, at this time, when the United States is brandishing its intention to attack the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean, our nation should not be excluded, especially since “we’re being turned into a war zone, given the colonial domination to which the United States has subjected us for the past 127 years.”

Right now, the world is gathered in Belem, in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, urgently addressing climate change, and Puerto Rico is absent despite the problems we already face in this regard, emphasized the member of the MINH executive board, referring to the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

“Unfortunately, having a government that responds to the dictates of US President Donald Trump, who at the same time despises us as a Latin American and Caribbean people, makes this process an uphill battle,” said Muriente Perez, thanking “the sister nations” for their consideration in inviting representative sectors of Puerto Rican society.

The opening of the meeting, held at the Irotama Hotel, precedes the IV Summit between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU), which begins tomorrow in Santa Marta, Colombia.

The civil society gathering, attended by representatives from countries in the region, will seek to contribute to building peace, democracy, and regional unity, according to its organizers.

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