Spain condemned on Sunday April 7 the police raid carried out by the Ecuadorian authorities against the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest the former Ecuadorian vice-president accused of corruption Jorge Glas, who had taken refuge there, and called for “respect for international law”.
“The forceful entry into the Mexican Embassy in Quito is in violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We call for respect for international law and the return of harmony between Mexico and Ecuador, brother countries of Spain and members of the Ibero-American community”said the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares Bueno, in a statement.
The 1961 Vienna Convention provides that embassies and consulates “are inviolable”. But she also emphasizes that they should not be used in a way ” incompatible “ with diplomatic and consular functions.
Mexico granted asylum on Friday to Jorge Glas, who had taken refuge in its embassy in Quito since December 17 and was the subject of an arrest warrant for alleged corruption by the Ecuadorian justice system.
Quito described this decision as“illegal”denounced a “abuse of immunities and privileges” granted to the embassy and interference in its internal affairs. “Jorge Glas was the subject of an enforceable conviction and an arrest warrant issued by the competent authorities”commented the Ecuadorian Ministry of Communication.
The granting of asylum to Mr. Glas on Friday came the day after Ecuador’s decision to expel the Mexican ambassador to Quito, following criticism by the Mexican president on the conduct of the Ecuadorian presidential election in 2023.