Interview: Mexico's ruling party leader urges U.S. to stop meddling in LatAm's internal affairs

MEXICO CITY, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The United States should adhere to non-interference in the internal affairs of Latin American countries and show respect for their sovereignty, said the leader of Mexico's ruling party National Regeneration Movement (MORENA).

It is not easy to share a border with the United States, which continues to meddle in Latin American countries' internal affairs as it has gotten used to regarding the region as its "backyard," Secretary General of MORENA Citlalli Hernandez Mora told Xinhua in a recent interview, adding regional countries are "struggling for" their sovereignty.

Recalling the exclusions of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua by the United States from the Summit of the Americas earlier this month, Hernandez said such a move hindered regional cooperation and revealed U.S. disrespect for Latin America.

"As long as there are no real mechanisms for cooperation, exchange, dialogue, we will not be able to create serious opportunities where we can raise the issues that concern the continent," Hernandez said, citing arms smuggling and drug trafficking as examples.

She said the United States continues to evade its responsibilities on domestic problems that have spilled over the border to Latin American countries.

For example, Mexican authorities estimated that at least half a million weapons flow illegally each year from the United States into the hands of criminal organizations in Mexico, fueling gun violence in the Latin American country, Hernandez said.

The United States also overlooked its role as the world's leading consumer of narcotics, and blamed Mexico for more illegal drugs circulating in its own land, she said.

Hernandez called on the United States to show respect for ideological and governmental differences in the whole continent, "leading to a foreign policy of collaboration, solidarity and joint problem-solving."