President Joe Biden invited about 110 countries to participate in the virtual conference Democracy Summit Last December, most Western allies were included, but Hungary and Turkey were not included. A list It will be published on the website of the State Council on Tuesday (November 23).
America’s main rival, China, was not invited, while Taiwan was invited—a move that risks angering Beijing. Turkey, which is a NATO member like the United States, also did not appear on the list of participants.
Among the Middle Eastern countries, only Israel and Iraq will participate in the online conference scheduled for December 9-10.
Iraq, India, and Pakistan are invited, while the traditional Arab allies of the United States—Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—are not.
Biden invited Brazil, despite the fact that Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolsonaro has been criticized for being authoritarian and a staunch supporter of Donald Trump.
Orban’s Hungary is out
In Europe, Poland has been invited to participate in the summit despite continuing tensions with the EU over its human rights record. Hungary, led by hardline nationalist prime minister Victor Orban, was not invited.
In Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Nigeria and Niger are all on the list.
Although it was initially reported that Serbia would not be invited, the country’s name appeared on the list.
When announcing the summit in August, the White House stated that the meeting will “inspire commitments and initiatives across three main themes: opposing authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights.”
(Editing by Georgi Getoff)
