This Tuesday, April 16, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced the closure of the Embassy and consulates of his country in Ecuador, in support of the Government of Mexico after the assault by the Ecuadorian Police on the diplomatic headquarters of that country, which occurred last 5th of April. The incursion by the Quito authorities aimed at the arrest of Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, convicted of corruption, and who had received asylum from the Administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador. However, this action has received condemnation from most of the region for violating the Vienna Convention, which establishes the inviolability of diplomatic headquarters.
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A new front opens in the midst of diplomatic tensions between Ecuador and Mexico.
Venezuela withdrew all its diplomatic personnel and closed its Embassy and consulates in Ecuadorian territory. This was confirmed this Tuesday, April 16, by President Nicolás Maduro, during a virtual meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) and, separately, his Foreign Minister, Yvan Gil.
It is a threat to all countries that have an embassy in Ecuador
According to Caracas, The measure is taken in response to the controversial arrest of former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas and in solidarity with the Government of Mexico.
“It is a threat to all the countries that have an embassy in Ecuador, he says that he received an order to assault the Mexican Embassy and that he would do it again, therefore, in the face of this aberrant act of arrogance by President Noboa (… .) I announce that I have ordered to close our embassy in Ecuador, close the consulate in Quito, immediately close the consulate in Guayaquil and for the diplomatic personnel of Venezuela to return immediately until International Law is expressly restored in Ecuador,” Maduro assured.
The origin of the diplomatic crisis
On April 5, Ecuadorian security forces stormed the Mexican Embassy in Quito to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas, who was taking refuge there and obtained asylum after being convicted of corruption.
“Likewise, we have received instructions from the president, Nicolás Maduro, to initiate actions to support Mexico's proposal to request the expulsion of Ecuador from the UN, as well as its lawsuit filed before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).” added the Venezuelan foreign minister, through platform
And on April 8, the Government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador denounced Ecuador before that court based in The Hague and requested this measure against it, accusing it of alleged violations of International Law.
The Organization of American States (OAS) also approved a resolution of condemnation, on April 10, in which it “strongly” rejected the incursion authorized by Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and asked the two countries to begin “dialogue and take immediate action to resolve this serious matter constructively.”
Read alsoOAS condemns Ecuador's invasion of the Mexican Embassy; Glas begins hunger strike, according to his lawyer
However, relations remain broken after the Mexican Government broke diplomatic ties with Quito in response to the assault on its embassy and continues to demand a public apology from the Noboa Administration.
However, Ecuador emphasizes that its actions were necessary to arrest whoever was number two during the Government of former President Rafael Correa, who had a sentence against him and was on conditional release. Furthermore, the president argued that his forces proceeded after evaluating a risk of escape.
With EFE and local media
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