Luis Ayllón
The Spanish government has decided to return to Nicaragua, with the appointment of a new ambassador, almost a year after recalling its diplomatic representative in Managua for consultations, in a decision that culminated a process of several months of disagreements with Daniel Ortega’s regime, as The Diplomat has learned from reliable sources.
The Spanish authorities remain critical of the evolution of the situation in Nicaragua, where Ortega is increasingly repressive of the opposition and is even preventing various social and religious organisations from operating in the country, to the point of recently expelling the Missionaries of Charity of the Order of St Teresa of Calcutta.
However, the sources consulted pointed out that relatives of opponents and journalists imprisoned by the regime have told the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs that, although they appreciate the pressure exerted by the measures adopted by some countries to withdraw their ambassadors, the risk is that there will no longer be witnesses in Nicaragua to make known what is happening in the country.
For this reason, the government has decided to send a diplomatic representative at the highest level once again, after recalling ambassador Mar Fernández-Palacios for consultations on 11 August 2021, leaving the embassy in Managua in the hands of a chargé d’affaires and with very poor relations.
On 10 March, the Nicaraguan government, for its part, decided to withdraw its ambassador in Madrid, Carlos Midence, alleging that he was suffering ‘continuous pressure and threats of interference’. The embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires, Milagros Urbina, remained in charge of the embassy as Minister Counsellor.
The accusations of alleged interference by Spain -reflected in a harsh communiqué from the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministr – were also at the root of the recall of the Spanish ambassador to Managua for consultations.
Now, the Spanish government, without renouncing its criticism of Ortega, has opted to try to normalise diplomatic relations, taking advantage of the fact that Ambassador Mar Fernández-Palacios has just been appointed to head the Spanish Embassy in Brazil and, as a result, her post in Managua has been left vacant.
The Diplomat has learned that the Spanish authorities asked Managua for permission to appoint a new Spanish ambassador to Nicaragua, and the Nicaraguan government accepted the proposal. The chosen diplomat is Pilar Terrén, who will be appointed today in the Council of Ministers.
Pilar Terrén entered the diplomatic career in 2003 and for the last six years has been the deputy director general for Chancery in at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a well-known person in all the embassies accredited in Madrid.
The new ambassador to Managua was posted to El Salvador and twice to Mexico, once as deputy consul. In addition, she worked in the Protocol Department of the Presidency of the Government and was an advisor to the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs and Inspector General of Services.
According to the sources consulted, the government is confident that the step it is about to take will facilitate the normalisation of diplomatic relations, if, in turn, Daniel Ortega appoints a new ambassador to Madrid, since the previous ambassador, Carlos Midence, was recently appointed to take charge of the Nicaraguan embassy in Argentina.
