President Santos wished President Hugo Chavez a “speedy recovery” on Thursday, after the Venezuelan president cancelled a key summit of Latin American leaders because of health issues.
“We were told that President Chavez is recovering, but is not in good enough condition to attend the summit. We hope he recovers soon,” said President Santos earlier today.
The Latin America and Caribbean Summit on Development and Integration will not occur because Chavez is “in a process of recuperation and extremely strict medical treatment” in Cuba. President Chavez traveled to Cuba in early June to undergo surgery to remove a pelvic abscess.
Chavez, who was elected as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) co-chair in July 2010, promoted the summit as an event to lay groundwork for the new bloc.
The summit, which was supposed to run from July 6-7, would have coincided Venezuela’s independence day celebration. It is not known whether Chavez will be healthy enough to return for this important celebration.