In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry explained the reasons why it declared Serur persona non grata, declaring that President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador made “very unfortunate” statements about the elections held in Ecuador last year, and also about the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio on August 10th, 2023.

Former deputy Foreign Minister of Ecuador Kintto Lucas pointed out that the measure is totally disproportionate. “The president of Mexico did not talk about the president of Ecuador, he did not attack anyone, was not giving an opinion. He only told a story and called for caution in Mexico. There were other measures prior to this,” Lucas commented.

The Human Rights Documentation Center recalled that both countries established ties in 1837, however, “it seems that the darkness of ignorance has long flooded the halls and offices” of the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry.

The organization considers that figures “obscured by imperial interests” pushed for this “insolent declaration of persona non grata to a distinguished academic, writer and diplomat who, through various aspects, maintains a close relationship with Ecuador.”

Orlando Pérez, writer and journalist, considered that the measure seems like another rookie move by Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld, an order from the US embassy, or simply a distraction, not addressing the multiple crisis in Ecuador. “Why don’t they do the same when the US ambassador talks about internal politics or what Daniel Noboa should do?” Pérez asked.

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