Mexico is cutting off diplomatic ties with Ecuador following the arrest of former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas, who has been seeking political asylum in the Mexican embassy in Quito. Glas has been indicted on corruption charges and is considered one of the most wanted men in Ecuador. The Ecuadorian police broke into the Mexican embassy to apprehend him, prompting Mexico’s President Andres Manuel López Obrador to announce the severance of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Ecuador defended its actions as a matter of sovereignty and stated that they would not allow criminals to evade justice. Mexico criticized the arrest as an authoritarian act and violation of international law. The Mexican embassy in Quito remains heavily guarded.
Tensions between Mexico and Ecuador had escalated even before Glas’ arrest, with Ecuador declaring the Mexican ambassador persona non grata after controversial remarks made by Mexico’s president regarding Ecuador’s last elections. Mexico has vowed to take the case to the International Court of Justice to denounce Ecuador’s actions as violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Mexican diplomats are awaiting guarantees from the Ecuadorian government for their safe return home.
The situation remains tense between the two countries as they navigate the fallout from these recent events and the arrest of Glas.
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