The Diplomat
The Spanish Government yesterday called for respect for International Law and harmony, after the assault on the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador carried out on Friday by the Ecuadorian police to arrest the former vice president of this country Jorge Glas.
The police action, which has caused a serious diplomatic conflict between Mexico and Ecuador, represents, according to a note from the Spanish Executive, through a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “a violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations of 1961.”
In the same statement, the Spanish Executive states: “We call for respect for international law and harmony between Mexico and Ecuador, sister countries of Spain and members of the Ibero-American Community.”
Furthermore, the head of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, stated in statements to Efe that “the police entry by force into the Mexican embassy in Quito is a very serious incident.”
“Respect for international law – said the minister – is the basis of coexistence between nations.” And he added: “Spain demands respect for the inviolability of diplomatic missions.”
Albares assured that “Spain will always work for respect for international law and good relations between the countries of Latin America.”
Spain thus joins the condemnations expressed by other countries such as the United States, where the spokesperson for the State Department, Matthew Miller, said. “The United States takes seriously the obligations of countries under international law to respect the inviolability of diplomatic missions.” Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Panama, Argentina, Bolivia Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Venezuela and Nicaragua also expressed their rejection, the latter country which even announced that it was breaking relations with Ecuador.
For its part, the Organization of American States (OAS) called an emergency meeting to address the situation, through a statement it rejected “any action that violates or puts at risk the inviolability of the premises of diplomatic missions.” In addition, he reiterated “the obligation that all States have not to invoke norms of domestic law to justify non-compliance with their international obligations.”
The action of the Police at the diplomatic representation of Mexico in Quito occurred to arrest and imprison the former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas, convicted of corruption and alleged embezzlement of public funds, to whom the Mexican Government had granted political asylum.
Glas had been taking refuge since December 2023 in the Mexican Embassy to request political asylum after declaring himself politically persecuted and a victim of ‘lawfare’ (use of the judicial apparatus against political adversaries). The asylum was granted at a time of great tension between the two countries, after the Government of Daniel Noboa expelled the Mexican ambassador, Raquel Serur, in response to statements by López Obrador that related the murder of the presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. with the electoral victory of Noboa against the Correista candidate Luisa González.
