Ecuador declares Mexican ambassador persona non grata and says she will leave ‘shortly’

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador has declared Mexico’s ambassador to Quito persona non grata over recent statements made by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and says she will be leaving the country “shortly.” The comments by López Obrador were about the 2023 presidential elections in the Andean country and the killing of Ecuador’s former presidential candidate, Fernando Villavicencio. The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the step was taken in accordance with the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations. The ministry says this “does not mean breaking diplomatic relations,” but it does mean the departure of Ambassador Raquel Serur Smeke. The ministry did not specify the date by when she must leave the country.