Asuncion, July 20 (AFP/APP): South America’s Mercosur trade bloc has declined a request by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to address its upcoming summit, host Paraguay said on Wednesday.
Bloc members Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay failed to reach an agreement on Zelensky’s request, made to the host country last week, according to deputy foreign relations minister Raul Cano, who declined to say which states were against it.
Zelensky has addressed several national parliaments as well as regional and international fora since the start of Russia-Ukraine conflict in February, including the European parliament, World Economic Forum and the United Nations.
Zelensky had spoken to Paraguay’s President Mario Abdo Benitez last week, asking to be allowed to address a summit to be held on Thursday, following a ministerial meeting Wednesday.
“There was no consensus,” said Cano, adding the decision had been communicated to Kyiv.
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