Mexico breaks diplomatic relations with Ecuador after the arrest of Jorge Glas in its embassy

Mexico’s Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena announced on Saturday the severance of diplomatic relations with Ecuador following the arrest of former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas Espinel, whom Mexico had welcomed to its embassy and granted him diplomatic asylum despite the reluctance of the Ecuadorian authorities.

“In consultation with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador regarding the flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the injuries sustained by Mexican diplomatic personnel in Ecuador, Mexico announces the immediate severing diplomatic relations with Ecuador“Bárcena announced in a publication on the social network X.

So “Mexican diplomatic personnel in Ecuador will immediately leave that country,” the Foreign Ministry added, calling on Ecuadorian authorities to “provide the necessary guarantees for the abandonment of Mexican personnel.”

Moreover, Mexico has announced this will sue Ecuador before the International Court of Justice “for violations of international law”.

This decision comes, as López Obrador explained after a conversation with Bárcena, after “the police from Ecuador forcibly entered his embassy and “detained the former vice president of that country, who was a refugee and was processing asylum due persecution.” faces.

“This is a blatant violation of international law and Mexico’s sovereignty, which is why I have instructed our Chancellor to make a statement on this matter. authoritarian factproceed legally and immediately declare the suspension of diplomatic relations with the government of Ecuador,” the Mexican president added.

This Friday, the government of Ecuador declared that the asylum granted by Mexico to Jorge Glas Espinel constituted, in its opinion, an “illegal” act and requested the transfer of the former vice president to be made available to the Ecuadorian justice system.

López Obrador had previously confirmed that, finally, Mexican authorities would grant Glas political asylumaccused of corruption and housed for weeks in the Mexican embassy in Quito.

“What they were looking for is for us to accept them entering the embassy, ​​or for us to hand over the vice president to them. We cannot do that, it is a matter of principles. Mexico’s foreign policy is characterized by Protect persecuted politicians‘, said López Obrador.

Glass has been at Mexico’s diplomatic headquarters since mid-December, entering out of fear for his safety and personal freedom. The embassy welcomed him as a guest and his lawyers announced weeks ago that they had submitted a formal request for political asylum.

This maneuver of the former Vice President took place after the National Police ordered his arrest in order to make a statement to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in case of possible embezzlement of public funds in the reconstruction of the province of Manabí after the 2016 earthquake, which left more than 670 dead.