Mexico City, Mexico — Mexico breaks ties with Ecuador after police forced their way into the Mexican Embassy Friday to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas. Glas was in the Embassy of Mexico under the protection of political asylum.
Early Friday, the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE) of Mexico announced that it “had decided to grant political asylum to Mr. Jorge David Glas Espinel, who is currently in the Mexican Embassy in Quito.”
The announcement came at the same time the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) said “Mexico regrets the declaration of persona non grata to the ambassador in Ecuador, Raquel Serur Smeke. The Government of Mexico has instructed Ambassador Raquel Serur Smeke to return to Mexico in order to protect her safety and integrity.”
However late Friday night, Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena said in a public message that diplomatic relations with Ecuador would be broken due to a “serious violation” of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
“In consultations with the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and in the face of the flagrant and serious violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, in particular the principle of inviolability of Mexican diplomatic premises and personnel and the basic norms of international coexistence, Mexico announces the immediate breaking of diplomatic relations with Ecuador.
“In this sense, Mexico’s diplomatic personnel in Ecuador will leave that country immediately. Mexico hopes that Ecuador offers the necessary guarantees for the abandonment of Mexican personnel.
“Mexico will appeal to the International Court of Justice to denounce Ecuador’s responsibility for violations of International Law,” said Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena.
Earlier on Friday, the SRE of Mexico reported that after an exhaustive analysis of the information received, the Government of Mexico had decided to grant political asylum to Mr. Jorge David Glas Espinel, who was in the Mexican Embassy in Quito.
The decision was officially communicated to Ecuadorian authorities along with the request that they grant the respective safe passage, in accordance with the 1954 Diplomatic Asylum Convention, an international treaty to which Mexico and Ecuador are state parties.
However Friday night, Ecuadorian police forcefully broke into the Mexican Embassy in Quito where former Vice President Jorge Glas was staying. He was forcefully removed from the Embassy and driven away.
In a late night statement, the Government of Mexico said “given the brutal invasion perpetrated by the Ecuadorian police at the Mexican Embassy on the night of Friday, April 5, and in accordance with the instructions of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico announces the breaking of diplomatic relations with that country.
“In consultations with the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and in the face of the flagrant and serious violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, in particular, the principle of inviolability of Mexican diplomatic premises and personnel, and the basic norms of international coexistence, Mexico announces the immediate breaking of diplomatic relations with Ecuador,” said Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena Ibarra.
She added that Mexico’s diplomatic personnel in Ecuador will leave that country immediately and that it is expected to have the necessary guarantees for the abandonment by Mexican personnel.
Mexico strongly condemns the acts of violence carried out against the head of the mission’s Foreign Ministry, Roberto Canseco Martínez, as well as the arbitrary arrest of former vice president Jorge Glas Espinel, who was in the embassy and in the process of political asylum due to the persecution he is experiencing.
Mexico will appeal to the International Court of Justice to denounce violations of International Law by Ecuador, as well as to the relevant regional and international bodies.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs demands a thorough investigation of the attack while reiterating its commitment to the fight against violence in all its forms.
