June 2020 G7 Gathering In Florida: Cuba & Venezuela Will Be Highly Visible; Other Surprises?

UPDATE: At 6:52 pm on 19 October 2019, President Trump used the Twitter platform to report that Trump National Doral Miami would not host the G7 gathering in 2020.

From Wednesday, 10 June 2019, to Friday, 12 June 2019, 643-room Trump National Doral Miami located on 800-acres in the City of Doral, Florida, located within Miami-Dade County will be the site of the 2020 annual Group of Seven (G7) gathering of heads of government/heads of state from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and United States. The Honorable Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, will host the gathering.

An Anecdote: A room reservation made directly with the Internet site of Trump National Doral Miami at 1:00 pm on Thursday, 17 October 2019, as The White House was announcing the site selection, was confirmed by an email from the Reservations Office at 1:25 pm. On Friday, 18 October 2018, at 3:13 pm, the Reservations Office sent the following message by email: “At this time we are unable to honor your reservation from June 9th - June 13th, 2020 as we are fully committed. Please note that your reservation will be cancelled and we highly suggest for you to find alternate accommodations. Thank you for your interest in Trump National Doral.”

What might the event look like?

The theme for the G7 gathering in 2020 could be “Making The ‘G’ Relevant.” President Trump may advocate to permanently expand the “G” to include China, India and Russia.

H.E. Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, may be invited as a guest of the United States. Officials of the Trump Administration have posited that for the G7 to exclude China, the world’s second-largest economy, is impractical as inclusion may prompt more effective accountability, cooperation and integration by China into the global marketplace.

H.E. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, will be invited as a guest of the United States. Officials of the Trump Administration posit that for the G7 to exclude India, the world’s seventh-largest economy, is impractical as inclusion may prompt more effective accountability, cooperation and integration by India into the global marketplace. There are also perceived re-election campaign-related benefits to the Trump Administration.

H.E. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, will be invited as a guest of the United States. While five or six of the seven members of the G7 may resist reinstating the participation of the Russian Federation, President Trump, as host, will seek to include President Putin as guest in part so the “G” may more effectively manage issues relating to Syria, Iran, Venezuela and the Republic of Cuba among others (including energy).

H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey, will be invited as a guest of the United States. President Trump believes that cooperation with Turkey, a member since 1974 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), is critical to more effective integration and cooperation for issues relating to Syria, Iran, Venezuela, Republic of Cuba, Russia, Cyprus and other countries.

H.E. Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran, may be invited as means of demonstrating the willingness by President Trump to meet directly with those with whom the United States has disagreement.

H.E. Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, may be invited with a goal of the G7 gathering serving as a platform for Prime Minister Khan and Prime Minister Modi to discuss issues relating to Kashmir.

H.E. Juan Guaido, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela since December 2018 and Interim President of Venezuela since January 2019, will invited as a guest of the United States. Fifty-four countries recognize Interim President Guaido. Italy is the only member of the G7 not to recognize Interim President Guaido.

There will be a formal discussion focusing upon Venezuela and the Republic of Cuba. With the United States seeking from the G7 (and European Union- EU) a more robust effort to support commercial, economic and political change in Venezuela and the Republic of Cuba. China, Turkey and Russia are critical to a resolution or movement towards a resolution of issues relating to Venezuela and the Republic of Cuba.

Depending upon the adjudication of lawsuits, currently twenty (20), that use Title III of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996 (known as “Libertad Act”), members of the G7 will continue to oppose the use of Title III and will advocate the Trump Administration agree to directly negotiate [H.E. Miguel] Diaz-Canel Administration to resolve the 5,913 certified claims against the Republic of Cuba. Title III authorizes lawsuits in United States District Courts against companies and individuals who are using a certified claim or non-certified claim where the owner of the certified claim or non-certified claim has not received compensation from the Republic of Cuba or from a third-party who is using (“trafficking”) the asset. As of 19 October 2019, there are Title III defendants located in Canada, France and the United States.

The Trump Administration will focus upon Miami-Dade County in terms of making available officials for speaking engagements to reinforce President Trump’s efforts relating to the Republic of Cuba and Venezuela.

The Wild Cards

Might President Trump extend invitations to H.E. Nicolas Maduro, President of Venezuela, and H.E. Miguel Diaz-Canel, President of the Republic of Cuba, to attend the G7 as guests? President Trump would benefit regardless of whether the invitations were accepted- he is reaching out to try and solve problems, although President Maduro has legitimate concerns as to his personal safety (arrest).

G7, G8, G20, OAS, EU, OPEC Membership

The Group of Seven (1974-1997), known as the G7, included Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and United States.

The Group of Eight (1997-2014) known as the G8, included Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States and Russia.

The Group of Seven (2014-Present) includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and United States. The Russian Federation was excluded in 2014 as a result of its military actions on the Crimean Peninsula.

G20: Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia, Turkey, United States, Australia, Canada, France, India, Italy, Mexico, Republic of South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, and Brussels, Belgium-based European Union (EU).

OAS: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.

EU: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.

OPEC: Algeria, Angola, Congo, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. OPEC Observers: Egypt, Mexico, Norway, Oman and Russia among other countries.

LINK To Complete Analysis