Mexico-Ecuador crisis: AMLO orders the immediate suspension of diplomatic relations with Ecuador

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced this Friday the immediate suspension of diplomatic relations with Ecuador. AMLO announced the measure on social media. Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alicia Bárcena also announced the news and is enforcing the president's order.

The Mexican government’s decision comes after Ecuadorian authorities attacked the Mexican Embassy in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. On Friday night, Ecuadorian National Police officers, along with the army, broke into Mexican Embassy without permission to arrest former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador posted on social media, "This is a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico. For this reason, I have instructed our chancellor to issue a statement regarding this authoritarian act, proceed legally and immediately declare the suspension of diplomatic relations with the government of Ecuador," he continued.

Specifically, the actions of the Ecuadorian authorities could be a flagrant violation of several articles of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a text that both Mexico and Ecuador signed.

Ecuadorian authorities violated article 22 of the convention. This article proclaims the inviolability of the premises of the diplomatic mission. According to this text, "The premises of the mission are inviolable. Agents of the receiving State may not enter them without the consent of the head of the mission." Ecuadorian Police did not comply with this when breaking into the embassy to arrest Jorge Glas. In accordance with the convention, each country is also obliged to protect foreign embassies from intrusion.

In addition to breaking relations with Ecuador, the Mexican government also announced that it will report Ecuador to the international court. Along with this, the workers from the Mexican Embassy are scheduled to leave Ecuador in the coming days. They will join the Mexican ambassador, who has already received the order to leave Ecuador after being declared persona non-grata.

Mexican diplomats leave Ecuador Sunday

Mexican diplomatic personnel based in Quito, as well as their families, left Ecuador on a commercial flight on Sunday after the rupture of relations between the two countries, the Mexican Foreign Ministry informed.

Among the diplomats are the ambassador Raquel Serur, declared persona non-grata by Ecuador, and the head of the mission, Roberto Canseco.