UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "alarmed" by the raid carried out by Ecuadoran security forces at Mexico's embassy in Quito to arrest graft-accused former vice president Jorge Glas, his spokesman has said.
Guterres emphasised on Saturday the importance of maintaining the inviolability of diplomatic compounds, saying it must be respected "in all cases, in accordance with international law," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
"The secretary-general stresses that violations of this principle jeopardise the pursuit of normal international relations, which are critical for the advancement of cooperation between states," Dujarric said.
Scaling walls
The UN chief urged both Ecuador and Mexico to show "moderation" and "solve their differences through peaceful means," he added.
Ecuadorian security forces stormed the Mexican embassy in Quito on Friday night to arrest former vice president Jorge Glas, who had been granted political asylum there.
Special forces equipped with a battering ram surrounded the embassy, and at least one agent scaled the walls, in an almost unheard-of raid on diplomatic premises that are considered inviolable sovereign territory.
The incident prompted Mexico to quickly sever diplomatic ties with Ecuador.
'Reprehensible action'
"This is a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico," President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wrote on X.
Nicaragua followed suit, citing the "unusual and reprehensible action" of the embassy raid.
Searing rebukes poured in from regional governments across the political spectrum, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Peru and Venezuela.
Real risk
Ecuadoran Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld on Saturday accused Mexico of meddling in Quito's "internal affairs" by offering asylum and said the raid was justified because of the "real risk" that Glas would escape justice.
The Vienna Convention, a treaty governing international relations, states that a country cannot intrude upon an embassy on its territory.
The United States said it condemned any violation of the Vienna Convention, but added both Mexico and Ecuador were "crucial partners" for Washington and urged them to "resolve their differences in accord with international norms."
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