Diplomatic breakup
On the night of April 5, 2024, the Ecuadorian police entered the Mexican Embassy in Quito to arrest former vice president Jorge Glas, who had political asylum. The Mexican government, then headed by Andrés Manuel López Obrador, immediately announced the severing of diplomatic relations.
Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena described the event as a breach of the Vienna Convention. He denounced injuries to diplomatic personnel and the arrest of the head of the Foreign Ministry, Roberto Canseco, who defended sovereign space. Ambassador Raquel Serur was declared persona non grata.
The consular headquarters closed indefinitely. Mexico turned to the embassies of Chile, Colombia and Peru to assist its compatriots, and filed a complaint before the International Court of Justice.
Commercial and political tension
On February 3, 2025, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa imposed a 27% tariff on Mexican products, arguing the absence of a free trade agreement. Negotiations have been stalled since 2022 due to tariffs on shrimp and bananas.
A day later, President Claudia Sheinbaum minimized the impact: exports to Ecuador represent only 0.4% of the Mexican total.
On April 16, 2025, Sheinbaum stated that Mexico will not resume relations while Noboa is president. He pointed out him as responsible for the break-in at the embassy and questioned the legitimacy of his electoral victory, supporting the opposition’s complaints of fraud. He also criticized the continued imprisonment of Jorge Glas.




