Mexico halted its diplomatic relations with Ecuador following a diplomatic dispute triggered by the Ecuadorean authorities' arrest of former Vice President Jorge Glas, who was taken from the Mexican embassy in Quito. This move came after Mexico had granted political asylum to Glas earlier on Friday. The arrest, carried out by Ecuadorean police forcefully entering the Mexican embassy, led to Mexico's decision to suspend bilateral ties with Ecuador.
Glas, who had sought asylum in Mexico in December, was arrested on corruption charges. The incident sparked tensions between the two countries, with Ecuador declaring Mexico's ambassador persona non grata the day before Glas's arrest. Ecuador argued that Mexico's asylum offer to Glas was illegal.
In response to the arrest, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador condemned the act as authoritarian and a violation of international law and Mexican sovereignty. He instructed the Mexican Foreign Minister to suspend diplomatic relations with Ecuador, a decision promptly announced by the minister. Embassy staff from both countries were ordered to return to their respective nations.
The arrest of Glas, who had been convicted of corruption twice before, was seen as the culmination of a week of escalating tensions between Mexico and Ecuador. Ecuadorean authorities had sought permission from Mexico to enter the embassy to arrest Glas, who was sentenced to prison in 2017 for his involvement in a bribery scandal with a Brazilian construction firm.
Glas has denied the charges against him and claimed political persecution, a claim denied by the Ecuadorean government. The diplomatic rift between Mexico and Ecuador also stems from recent comments made by President Lopez Obrador regarding Ecuador's political situation and elections. Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa, who took office recently, faces challenges such as drug-related violence, prompting him to declare a state of emergency.
