The Diplomat in Spain

The new ambassador will have to deal protect Spanish NGOs working in Nicaragua.

Luis Ayllón. 02/08/2018

The Government will soon appoint Mar Fernández-Palacios Ambassador to Nicaragua. She currently holds the position of deputy general director for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, according to sources consulted by The Diplomat.

The Council of Ministers may confirm tomorrow the appointment, at the same time that the Central American country is experiencing a deep crisis in which, as a result of Daniel Ortega’s Government repression, more than 400 people have been killed and about 2,000 have been injured.

The new diplomatic representative was elected to the post by the former Foreign Minister, Alfonso Dastis, as reported by The Diplomat, and has been confirmed by the current, Josep Borrell. Thanks to the fact that, since his position in the Ministry, which she occupied in the last three years, she has been following the situation in Nicaragua very closely.

Spanish Executive condemned the violence in the country, but at the same time is committed to dialogue and negotiation and supports initiatives aimed at seeking a peaceful solution. Recently, in response to a request from the Nuncio in Managua to maintain open channels with the Government, the current Spanish ambassador, Rafael Garranzo, attended the events of the 39th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution.

Last Tuesday, Minister Borrell said in his Twitter account that Spain «remains committed to the people of Nicaragua» and added: «We support the work of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. .

One of the issues that the new ambassador will have to deal with is to maintain the protection of hundreds of non-governmental organizations and Spanish foundations that work in Nicaragua and that, for security reasons, have been forced to paralyze their projects in the country, Andrés Amayuelas, president of the NGO Coordinator for Development in Spain, explained to Europa Press.

Mar Fernández-Palacios has been previously assigned to diplomatic missions in Beijing, Brussels (NATO), Brasilia, Havana and Rabat.