Ecuador invaded the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest former vice president Jorge Glas, who had received political asylum, and announced the “immediate severance” of diplomatic relations. Tensions between the countries that had maintained relations since 1830 have been increasing since December 17, when the former president requested refuge in the Mexican headquarters.
After the event, the Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena communicated the breakdown of relations with the government of Ecuador and warned that he will denounce the country at the International Court of Justice. Furthermore, the Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obradoralso used his social networks to refer to what happened and described the fact as “flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico“.
Mexico broke diplomatic relations with Ecuador
“Given the flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the injuries suffered by Mexican diplomatic personnel in Ecuador, Mexico announces the immediate breaking of diplomatic relations with Ecuador“Bárcena wrote in her X account minutes after the invasion of the embassy.
The official added that the Mexican diplomatic personnel will leave the South American country immediately and asked Quito to “offer the necessary guarantees” for your movement.
For its part, Ecuador defended the measure alleging that there was an “abuse of the immunities and privileges” granted to the diplomatic mission, according to a statement from the Communication Secretariat of the Presidency (Segcom).
In images broadcast by local media you can see how the uniformed men enter the legation to arrest Jorge Glas. In the midst of a strong security device, the head of the Mexican Foreign Ministry in Ecuador, Roberto Cansecotried to approach one of the cars leaving the embassy, but agents prevented him and In the struggle he fell to the floor.
Alicia Bárcena referred to this episode and maintained that Canseco is fine, as is the rest of the staff, but that “you can clearly see the physical aggression that our head of the chancellery has suffered”.
The conflict between Mexico and Ecuador
The former president of Mexico, Jorge Glas, was imprisoned for corruption and has a prison order in the framework of an investigation for the alleged crime of appropriation or illegal use of State property.
For this reason, the decision to grant him asylum strained bilateral relations, something that increased after President López Obrador’s statements about the political violence in Ecuador.
The Segcom, for its part, pointed out that “every embassy has a single purpose: to serve as a diplomatic space with the objective of strengthening relations between countries.” Furthermore, he added that “No criminal can be considered politically persecuted. “Jorge Glas has been sentenced with an enforceable sentence and had an arrest warrant issued by the competent authorities.”
The former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correaa fugitive and sentenced to eight years in prison for corruption, wrote in worst dictatorships The embassy of a country has been violated.” At the same time, he pointed out against the current president, Daniel Noboa and held him responsible for “the physical and psychological safety of former president Jorge Glas.”
The accusations against the former president of Mexico
Jorge Glas, former vice president between 2013 and 2017, is accused of divert public funds destined for the reconstruction of coastal towns after an earthquake in 2016. In December 2017 he was sentenced to six years in prison for the corruption plot of the Brazilian firm Odebrecht. In 2022 he obtained his conditional release by benefiting from a writ of habeas corpus.
The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry maintains that Glas faces a process for corruption and that he should be granted asylum “supports an evasion of justice from the Ecuadorian State and promotes impunity“.
Source: Ambito
