The European Union (EU) decided this Monday to declare the head of the Nicaraguan Mission to the EU, Zoila Müller, persona non grata. in “reciprocal” response to the recent expulsion of the community ambassador in Managua, Bettina Muscheidt, decreed by the government of the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega.
The Council of the EU – an institution in which the 27 Member States are represented – informed in a statement of its decision, at the initiative of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, that the accredited Nicaraguan ambassador before the Union is declared persona “non grata”.
(Also read: Tension between the European Union and Nicaragua over the alleged expulsion of the ambassador)
“This is a reciprocal response to the decision adopted by the Nicaraguan government on September 28 to declare the head of the EU Delegation in Nicaragua persona ‘non grata’,” the Council said, adding that it considers “unjustified.” the Nicaraguan decision.
The EU also reaffirmed its “ongoing commitment to the Nicaraguan people and to the defense of democracy, the rule of law and human rights”, and stressed that the current political crisis in Nicaragua “must be resolved through a genuine dialogue between the Government and the opposition”.
(You may be interested: Nicaragua breaks diplomatic relations with the Netherlands)
Finally, he affirmed that “it remains open to dialogue with Nicaragua, as long as this dialogue is carried out in a respectful manner.”
On October 2, Borrell considered the expulsion of the European ambassador from Nicaragua “unjustified and unilateral” and warned that these “hostile” actions would affect bilateral relations between that Central American country and the EU Member States and would lead to “greater international isolation”.
‼️In the morning hours of this Wednesday, the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship ordered the expulsion of the ambassador of the European Union (EU) in Nicaragua, Bettina Muscheidt. pic.twitter.com/klgfkhNhDL
— Bob AzulyBlanco🇳🇮🏳️🌈 (@Sakuravandalico) September 28, 2022
Then, he also warned that the EU would respond “firmly and proportionally”.
The news of the ambassador’s expulsion came after the EU delegation to the UN urged Ortega to “return the sovereignty of Nicaragua to the Nicaraguan people” and “restore democracy” in the country.
In mid-September, the European Parliament also approved by majority a resolution on the situation in Nicaragua, “in particular the arrest of Bishop Rolando Álvarez”, in which -among other things- it demanded the immediate release of the religious leader and of all the “political prisoners”.
(Also: Daniel Ortega criticizes the Catholic Church: “It is a perfect dictatorship”)
Relations between Nicaragua and the EU have remained tense in the last four years due to sanctions established by Europe against relatives and associates of the president, as well as government officials and institutions, for allegations of human rights violations.
Since April 2018, Nicaragua has been experiencing a sociopolitical crisis that in its first year left at least 355 dead, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
EFE
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