Mexico breaks diplomatic relations with Ecuador after assault on its Embassy by police officers

Mexico announced the suspension of its diplomatic relations withEcuador after Ecuadorian police officers broke into the Mexican Embassy in Quito this Friday with the aim of arresting the former vice presidentJorge Glas, who had been sheltering in place since December of the previous year.

The Mexican president,Andrés Manuel López Obrador, described the assault as "a flagrant violation of international law and Mexican sovereignty." López Obrador instructed the Mexican Foreign Minister,Alicia Barcena, to issue an official statement about the incident and declare the suspension of diplomatic relations with the Government of Ecuador.

"Alicia Bárcena, our Secretary of Foreign Affairs, has just informed me that police from Ecuador forcibly entered our embassy and detained the former vice president of that country who was a refugee and processing asylum due to the persecution and harassment he faces," López Obrador indicated in a tweet.

He then added: "This is a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico, which is why I have instructed our chancellor to issue a statement on this authoritarian act, proceed legally and immediately declare the suspension of relations." diplomatic relations with the government of Ecuador".

Mexico's decision was made after months of tension between both countries, exacerbated by the asylum granted to Glas by the Mexican government. According toThe newspaper, the former Ecuadorian vice president faces convictions for corruption and bribery in his home country.

The Government of Ecuador, for its part, defended the actions of its agents, arguing that they are committed to not allowing any criminal to go unpunished in their territory. Likewise, they justified the police operation by arguing that Glas had final sentences and arrest warrants.

However, Mexico considered that the raid on its embassy violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the injuries suffered by its diplomatic staff in Ecuador. In response to this, the Mexican Foreign Ministry confirmed the breaking of diplomatic relations with Ecuador.

The former Ecuadorian president,Rafael Correa, harshly criticized the action of the government ofDaniel Noboa, whom he accused of confusing the country "with one of his banana farms." Correa expressed his concern for the safety and integrity of Jorge Glas and extended apologies and admiration to the people and government of Mexico.

In April 2020 (just four years ago),An Ecuadorian court found Correa guilty and sentenced him to eight years in prison., accusing him of being the "mediate author" of improper charges to contractors to finance the electoral campaigns of his political movement between 2012 and 2016.

The resolution of the National Court of Justice also included former Vice President Glas, who was already in prison forthe corruption network of the Brazilian Odebrecht, as well as other former officials and businessmen who would have been part of the bribery scheme.

Five months later, the National Court of Justice (CNJ) of Ecuadorratified Correa's eight-year sentence and other senior officials accused of bribery, a decision that prevented him from running as a candidate in the 2021 elections, in which he intended to run for vice president from Belgium, a country where he is a refugee.