CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday ordered the closure of his country’s embassy and consulates in Ecuador in solidarity with Mexico in its protest over a raid by Ecuadorian authorities on the Mexican embassy in Quito.
Maduro made his announcement during a meeting of the leaders of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
Ecuadorian authorities raided the Mexican diplomatic outpost April 5 on the orders of Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa to arrest the country’s former Vice President Jorge Glas, a convicted criminal and fugitive who was seeking asylum in Mexico.
The extraordinarily unusual use of force drew immediate condemnation from governments around the world.
Noboa has said he authorized the raid “to protect national security.” Ecuador argued that Glas was targeted because of criminal convictions and not political reasons, and that therefore Mexico should not have been considering asylum for him.
Mexico has expressed its outrage over the raid, and filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands asking that the United Nations suspend Ecuador until it apologizes for the breach and agrees to reparations.