Guatemala and other countries distance themselves from Petro's statement on CELAC.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro asserted that the "vast majority" of members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) supported a statement in favor of peace in the region and against the extra-regional military presence. However, several countries, including Guatemala, have clarified that they did not join the statement.

In his message, Petro stated: “This is the statement of the vast majority of CELAC members , who signed for peace in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

The text refers to the proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, within the framework of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, and rejects the threat or use of force , as well as any external military presence in the region. It also emphasizes the need to strengthen regional cooperation against organized crime and drug trafficking.

Among the countries mentioned as signatories are : Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico , Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.

The Government of Guatemala , through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issued a statement on September 5, 2025, to clarify that it does not support said text.

In the document, Guatemala regrets that the Pro Tempore Presidency (PPT) of CELAC, currently held by Colombia, failed to respect the usual decision-making procedures and published a text without the full consensus of the member states.

"Guatemala will not endorse the aforementioned statement, and we request that the PPT remove our country's name from the list of countries that support it," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez clarified that his government also did not consent to the adhesion of its signature, despite positively evaluating the attempts at consensus promoted by Uruguay.

Similarly, among the countries that did not support the text are: Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Jamaica, Paraguay, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago.