The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, has confirmed that her government will continue with the request for safe conduct for former Ecuadorian vice president, Jorge Glas, and will uphold the lawsuit previously filed by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the incident at the Mexican Embassy in Quito.
Ecuador accused Glas of misappropriation of public funds related to reconstruction work in the province of Manabí after an earthquake in 2016 that left more than 670 dead. In light of this situation, Sheinbaum stated that she will support all legal actions initiated by her predecessor in international forums to denounce what they consider a violation of Ecuadorian sovereignty in the case of the Mexican Embassy.
The Mexican president has been firm in her position, indicating that the conditions for restoring diplomatic relations with Ecuador should include an apology and recognition of the right to asylum. In June, Sheinbaum rejected the possibility of engaging in dialogue with Ecuador considering what she termed a "very serious" act.
López Obrador's government requested safe conduct for Glas in August with the aim of relocating him to a third country, invoking international agreements on diplomatic asylum. Additionally, Mexico had invoked an agreement signed in Switzerland to protect Mexican interests in Ecuador after the rupture of bilateral relations.
The controversy was triggered when the Ecuadorian police forcibly stormed the Mexican Embassy in Quito in order to arrest Glas, who was there citing concerns for his safety. In April, Mexican authorities filed a complaint with the ICJ regarding this incident, in which they believe international norms were violated.
