Mexico Halts Diplomatic Relations with Ecuador

Emmanuel EjioforApril 7, 20241 Mins read250

Mexican President, Andrés Obrador (L), and Ecuadorian President, Daniel Noboa (R)

Mexico has suspended its diplomatic relations with Ecuador after Ecuadorean authorities forcibly arrested former Vice President, Jorge Glas from the Mexican embassy in Quito, Ecuador’s capital.

Glas, a two-time corruption convict, had been granted asylum by Mexico just hours before his arrest on Friday evening, sparking a diplomatic rift between the two countries. The former vice president, Glas, had sought asylum in December.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador criticised the arrest, describing it as an authoritarian breach of international law and Mexican sovereignty. According to a post the Mexican president shared on X, police had forcefully entered Mexico’s embassy before arresting Glas.

The arrest follows heightened tensions between the two nations, worsened when Ecuador declared Mexico’s ambassador in Quito persona non grata after comments from Mexican President Obrador. Ecuador argues that Mexico’s asylum offer to Glas was illegal, accusing Mexico of misusing diplomatic privileges.

In response to the arrest, Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena, as instructed by the president, announced the immediate suspension of diplomatic relations with Ecuador.

Ecuadorean authorities had previously requested permission to enter the Mexican embassy to apprehend Glas, who was sentenced to six years in prison in 2017 for accepting bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.

Glas has claimed he is being persecuted for his political alliance, a charge the Ecuadorean government denies.

Recent criticisms by Obrador about Ecuador’s political situation, particularly regarding last year’s violent elections, have further strained relations between the countries.

Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa, who took office amid rising drug-related violence, has declared multiple states of emergency in an attempt to control the situation.