Biden invites 110 countries including Taiwan to virtual summit on democracy; excludes China, Russia
Turkey, which like America is a member of NATO, is also missing from the list of participants.
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Washington DC, November 24: Excluding China and Russia, United States President Joe Biden has invited 110 nations, including India, Taiwan, to the much-touted first global "Summit for Democracy" scheduled to be held between December 9-10. Turkey, which like America is a member of NATO, is also missing from the list of participants.
The State Department issued the list of participating countries on its website on Tuesday (local time). The list includes major Western allies of the United States. It also includes India, Pakistan, and Iraq. In the South Asian region, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have been excluded. Washington invited the self-ruled Taiwan island country to the summit, a move likely to infuriate China, which views the democratically governed island as its territory.
From the Middle East, Iraq and Israel are participating in the summit. Interestingly, traditional Arab allies of the US -- Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, are not invited.
Biden’s summit, aimed at making democracies more responsive and resilient, and to build a broader community of partners committed to global democratic renewal. The main focus of the summit would remain around the challenges and opportunities facing democracies.
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The summit was announced in August this year. At that time, the White House said the meeting would "galvanize commitments and initiatives across three principal themes: defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights."
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