New diplomatic crisis between Spain and Nicaragua with the reciprocal expulsion of their ambassadors

Eduardo González The Spanish government has ordered the expulsion of Nicaragua's ambassador to Spain, Mauricio Carlo Gelli, "in strict reciprocity for the unjust expulsion" of Spain's ambassador to Nicaragua, Sergio Farré Salvá. "Spain decided yesterday to order the expulsion of the Nicaraguan ambassador to Spain and another diplomat accredited to the Nicaraguan Embassy in Madrid in strict reciprocity for the unjust expulsion of the Spanish ambassador and deputy head of mission in Nicaragua," Foreign Ministry sources told The Diplomat on Monday. "The Spanish government will continue working to maintain the best possible relations with the brotherly people of Nicaragua," they added. The government's decision came after the Nicaraguan regime, led by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, ordered the expulsion of Spain's ambassador to Nicaragua, Sergio Farré Salvá, on Sunday without providing any justification. Farré was appointed ambassador in early December and presented copies of his credentials on January 2nd. Mauricio Carlo Gelli, an Italian citizen who became a naturalized Nicaraguan in 2009, was appointed Nicaragua's ambassador to Spain in November 2022 and took up his post in December, after presenting his credentials. The ambassador even attended the traditional reception held annually by the King at the Royal Palace for the diplomatic corps accredited to Spain last Friday. This is not the first major diplomatic crisis between the two countries. In fact, Gelli was appointed ambassador to Spain nine months after the government of Daniel Ortega decided to remove Carlos Midence, who had held the position since September 2016, at a time of heightened tension in bilateral relations. In August 2021, Spain recalled its ambassador to Managua, Mar Fernández-Palacios, for consultations in response to a statement from the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry that, according to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, contained “gross falsehoods about Spanish judicial and electoral processes.” Subsequently, Spain decided to reinstate the ambassador, but the Nicaraguan government opposed this and, to avoid the expulsion of Carlos Midence, decided to withdraw him on its own on March 10, 2022. Despite this, in July 2022, the Spanish government requested Nicaragua's approval to appoint Pilar Terrén as a new ambassador to that country, as the families of opposition members repressed by the Sandinista regime had asked the Minister, José Manuel Albares, that Spain maintain a presence in Managua to bear witness to what was happening in their country. The approval was immediately authorized by Ortega. Terrén held the position until December 2025, when she was replaced by, precisely, the recently expelled Sergio Farré.

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