Mexico Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Ecuador After Police Barge Into Embassy In Quito (X image@RukumisG)

Mexico has decided to cut the bilateral ties with Ecuador. The move came after police stormed Mexican embassy in Ecuador to arrest former Vice-President of Ecuador, Jorge Glas. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the Mexican President said that the police had “forcibly entered” the embassy in a “flagrant violation of international law”.

The former Ecuador Vice-President took refuge in the embassy last December after Quito issued an arrest warrant against him over the alleged corruption. His lawyer said he was innocent. He took up the responsibility of the Vice-President in 2013 and stepped down in 2017 due to the mounting corruption allegations against him.

Later in 2017, Glas was sentenced to jail in November when Ecuadorian authority issued another arrest warrant alleging further corruption allegations. This triggered Glas to take refuge in the Mexican embassy.

Mexico said it give refugee to Glas after “thorough analysis” of the situation, said media report. Mexico’s move to give political asylum to Glas was deemed as illegal by Ecuador. In a statement, the country’s Presidency said that, “Ecuador is a sovereign nation and we are not going to allow any criminal to stay free”.

Ecuador said Glas had been sentenced to imprisonment by the Ecuadoran justice system and had been arrested and placed under the orders of the competent authorities.

Taking to his X account, Obrador wrote that he ordered immediate suspension of diplomatic ties with Ecuador. He said, “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. This is a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico”. According to Mexico’s secretary of foreign relations, Alicia Bárcena, a number of diplomats were injured during the incident.