United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his "shock" on Saturday following the Ecuadorian police storming the Mexican Embassy in Quito, stressing the need to ensure the sanctity of diplomatic missions, as stated by his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. Dujarric said in a statement that Guterres warned that any violation of the sanctity of any diplomatic mission "would undermine efforts to establish normal international relations" and called on Ecuador and Mexico to exercise moderation and resolve their disputes through peaceful means.
Ecuador has faced a barrage of criticism throughout Latin America after its security forces stormed the Mexican Embassy in Quito on Friday to arrest former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who has been accused of corruption and had sought refuge in the diplomatic mission. In protest against the violation of its embassy's sanctity, Mexico decided to sever its diplomatic relations with Ecuador, a move echoed by Nicaragua.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador deemed the storming of his country's embassy in Quito a "blatant violation of international law and Mexico's sovereignty." In his statement, Dujarric emphasized that the UN Secretary-General reminds that the sanctity of diplomatic missions must be respected "in all cases, in accordance with international law." He added, "The Secretary-General reaffirms that violating this principle undermines efforts to establish normal international relations, which are crucial for enhancing cooperation among nations."
