Nicaragua cuts Ecuador ties; Latin American states rally around Mexico
5 Min Read
Major Latin American countries described the Ecuador raid on the Mexican embassy to arrest a politician granted asylum as a clear violation of international law on diplomatic relations.
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Ecuadorian police storm the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas on April 5, 2024. (AFP)
Major Latin American countries have expressed their support for Mexico after its embassy in Ecuador was raided on Friday evening and a politician granted asylum by the Mexican government on Friday was arrested inside the diplomatic facility.
Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Brazil, Nicaragua, and Honduras slammed the Ecuadoran government for its unlawful incursion and detention of Jorge Glas, the former Vice President to the leftist ex-President Rafael Correa who was earlier convicted on two charges of corruption and has been seeking refugee in the embassy since last December.
Glas said that the charges against him were politically motivated.
Read more: Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio assassinated
🇪🇨🇲🇽With Israel bombing embassies we get some unprecedented violations once again. Mexico’s foreign ministry gave political asylum to former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas. He had been staying in Mexico’s embassy in Quito since late last year after Ecuador charged him with… pic.twitter.com/JgqdZbe9Rz
— dana (@dana916) April 6, 2024
Following the raid, Mexico announced the suspension of diplomatic ties with Ecuador.
According to the President's post, Alicia Barcena, Mexico's Secretary of Foreign Affairs, informed him of this "flagrant violation of international law and Mexico's sovereignty," an act which prompted the President to announce that he "instructed our Foreign Minister to issue a statement on this authoritarian act, proceed legally and immediately declare the suspension of diplomatic relations with the government of Ecuador."
After Mexico, Nicaragua also severed its diplomatic ties with Ecuador.
President Daniel Ortega's government announced in a statement its "sovereign decision to break all diplomatic relations with the Ecuadoran government" after the "unusual and reprehensible action."
Ecuadorean authorities had earlier attempted to get permission from Mexico to enter the embassy and arrest Glas but without success.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador slammed the incursion and arrest, describing them as an "authoritarian" act and a violation of international law and his country's sovereignty.
Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa had earlier contended that asylum protections for Glas were "illegal" due to the corruption charges he is facing. However, according to international law, embassies are considered the sovereign territory of the country they represent.
Mexico's Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena expressed shock in an interview with local broadcaster Milenio on Saturday morning over Ecuador's intrusion into the country's embassy in Quito, which resulted in the injury of some embassy staff. She further stated that Mexico granted Glas asylum following a thorough analysis of the circumstances surrounding the accusations against him.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry said it will file a complaint with the International Court of Justice for "grave violations of international law."
The now-detained politician was taken by Ecuadoran authorities to an unknown destination.
Read more: Ecuador grants US military green light for operations
Violation of international law
Brazil condemned Ecuador's move and declared it a "clear violation" of international laws related to embassies.
Brazil's Foreign Ministry also announced solidarity with Mexico and said the incursion "must be subject to strong repudiation, whatever the justification for its implementation."
On his part, Colombian President Gustavo Petro also criticized Quito and said in a post on X that Latin America "must keep alive the precepts of international law in the midst of the barbarism that is advancing in the world."
In a seperate statement, his government said that it will pursue human rights legal protections for Glas.
"The Vienna convention and Mexico's sovereignty in Ecuador have been breached," Petro said.
"Colombia respects the universal right to political asylum. All my solidarity to the diplomatic staff of Mexico in Quito," he added.
Se ha roto la convención de Viena y la soberanía de México en Ecuador.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) April 6, 2024
Vuelvo a insistir que América Latina y el Caribe, cualquiera que sean las construcciones sociales y políticas en cada país, debe mantener vivos los preceptos del derecho internacional en medio de la barbarie… https://t.co/JgpTyeioLv
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel expressed solidarity with Mexico and demanded that international norms regarding diplomatic missions be respected.
“The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which is an essential component of International Law, must be respected by all,” he said on X. "All our solidarity with #México, in the face of the unacceptable violation of their Embassy in Quito."
Toda nuestra solidaridad con #México, ante la inaceptable violación de su Embajada en Quito.
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) April 6, 2024
Debe respetarse por todos la Convención de Viena sobre Relaciones Diplomáticas que es un componente esencial del Derecho Internacional. https://t.co/ftprvoIaGU
On his part, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez echoed Diaz's position, stating that raiding the Mexican embassy is a flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the right to asylum, and Mexico’s sovereignty.
Furthermore, Eugenio Martinez, the head of the Latin American and Caribbean Directorate at Cuba’s Foreign Ministry, described the incident as a violation of fundamental norms of diplomatic relations between states. He emphasized that such actions disregard international law and pose a threat.
'A fascist act'
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro described in a post on his X account the incident as "an act of barbarism" and announced that he fully rejects the "fascist" incursion breaching international laws.
"It is an act of barbarism, something never seen in Latin America, the right-wing pro-Yankee government of Ecuador brutally violated International Law, assaulting the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador and kidnapping a political asylum seeker, thus recognized by the Mexican government," Maduro said.
He announced that "Venezuela raises its voice forcefully to reject this fascist act against International Law and expresses its full and absolute solidarity with the president, @lopezobrador_ and the people of Mexico."
Read more: US built secret Essequibo bases ahead of attack on Venezuela: Maduro
Es un acto de barbarie, algo nunca visto en América Latina, el gobierno de derecha pro yankee de Ecuador violó brutalmente el Derecho Internacional, asaltando la Embajada de México en Ecuador y secuestrando a un asilado político, así reconocido por el gobierno mexicano. Venezuela… https://t.co/O59LmuNtCn
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) April 6, 2024
The Organization of American States (OAS) based in Washington expressed on Saturday solidarity with "those who were victims of the inappropriate actions that affected the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador” and urged Mexico and Ecuador to steer away from escalating the situation and resort instead to resolving the incident via dialogue.
The OAS announced that its permanent council will convene to discuss the need for "strict compliance with international treaties, including those that guarantee the right to asylum."
It also reminded that its members - including Mexico and Ecuador - are "obliged" not to “invoke norms of domestic law to justify non-compliance with their international obligations.”
