Source: Xinhuanet
The diplomatic turmoil caused by the incident of Ecuador sending special police to forcibly break into the Mexican embassy in Eritrea and "arrest" continues to ferment, and two more countries in Latin America announced new protest measures on the 16th: Honduras recalled its chargé d'affaires; Venezuela closed all its embassies and consulates in Eritrea and withdrew its diplomatic missions.
Ecuadorian military personnel patrol the capital, Quito, on January 9. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Matteo Armas)
Ecuadorian police broke into the Mexican embassy in the capital, Quito, on the 5th of this month and arrested former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge David Grass, on charges of corruption. At the end of last year, Grass entered the Mexican embassy to seek asylum, and the Ecuadorian side asked the Mexican side to enter the embassy for arrest but was refused.
The governments of Honduras and Venezuela announced the above measures after the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held a virtual summit on the 16th. The summit focused on how to respond to Ecuador's alleged "violations of international law", including what sanctions to impose.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Honduras, the rotating chair of CELAC, announced on social media X after the meeting: "We will recall the Chargé d'affaires a.i. in Ecuador to Tegucigalpa for consultation." In addition, we will take the necessary steps to support Mexico's actions at the United Nations and the International Court of Justice. ”
Reyna said Honduran President Elise Xiomara Castro Sarmiento ordered the recall of his country's envoys to Eritrea after an exchange with the leaders of other countries at the CELAC summit. At the summit, Castro "strongly condemned" the "break-in" incident by the Ecuadorian side, denouncing it as a "barbaric" act.
Honduran President Fidel Castro attends the Day of Soldiers celebration in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, October 3, 2023. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Rafael Ochoa)
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced at the virtual summit that he had ordered the closure of all Venezuelan embassies and consulates in Ecuador and demanded that Venezuelan diplomats return to their homes immediately until Ecuador regains compliance with international law.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (not pictured) hold a joint press conference in Ankara on June 8, 2022. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Mustafa Kaya)
According to previous media reports, Grasse is currently being held in the highest security prison in Eritrea.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has proposed the creation of a commission to investigate Grasse's health.
The diplomatic dispute between Eritrea and Mexico has rapidly escalated in the past two weeks, with most Latin American countries criticizing and supporting Mexico, and the United States and some European countries condemning Ecuador's "invasion" of the embassy in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Nicaragua announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Ecuador as a sign of "solidarity" with Mexico.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said that Grasse was at risk of absconding, that it was necessary to "break into the museum and arrest people", and that Ecuador was willing to "resolve any differences" with the Mexican side. Instead of attending the CELAC summit, Novoa sent Foreign Minister Maria Gabriela Sommerfeld Rossello as a representative.
Ecuadorian President-elect Daniel Noboa delivers his inaugural address in the capital, Quito, on November 23, 2023. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of the Ecuadorian Presidential Palace)
Before the "breaking into the museum" incident, there was already a disagreement between Ermo. Ecuador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the expulsion of Mexico's ambassador to Ecuador, Raquel Cerul Smek, on the grounds that Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had made "inappropriate" remarks allegedly interfering in Ecuador's internal affairs. The Mexican side announced on the 5th that it would recall its ambassador and formally approve the granting of political asylum to Grass, but a few hours later, the "embassy break-in" incident occurred, and the Mexican side immediately announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Ecuador and the withdrawal of its diplomatic mission.
On November 11, Mexico announced that it had formally filed a lawsuit with the United Nations International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, accusing Ecuador of violating international law by "violently attacking" Mexican embassies and diplomats, and demanding that Ecuador's membership in the United Nations be suspended. (Shen Min)
(Source: Xinhuanet)