QUITO, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela should attend the upcoming Summit of the Americas, a gathering of hemispheric leaders organized by the Washington-based Organization of American States (OAS) and hosted this year by Peru, Ecuador said on Thursday.
The South American country weighed in on the matter following Peru's attempt to disinvite Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
"Ecuador thinks the Summit of the Americas should include all of its members, especially to have a venue where we can express our ideas, disagree and make recommendations behind closed doors," Ecuadorian Foreign Affairs Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa said.
Peru's move appeared designed to influence the April 22 presidential elections in Venezuela, in which Maduro plans to run for reelection.
"We have a constitutional mandate of not interfering in the domestic affairs of states," Espinosa said.
Cuba and Bolivia have also expressed their support for Maduro's presence at the April 12 to 13 summit.
