Peru Severs Ties With Mexico As Political Standoff Deepens
WinkelmannPeru broke off diplomatic relations with Mexico on Monday in the latest chapter of a years-long dispute stemming from Mexican support for left-wing politicians accused of plotting a 2022 coup in the South American nation.
Peru broke off diplomatic relations with Mexico on Monday in the latest chapter of a years-long dispute stemming from Mexican support for left-wing politicians accused of plotting a 2022 coup in the South American nation.
The announcement was made by the top diplomat to Peru's new conservative President Jose Jerí, who accused Mexican officials of meddling in its affairs by offering asylum protections to former Prime Minister Betssy Chávez. She served under ousted leftist ex-President Pedro Castillo.
"The Peruvian government has decided to break diplomatic relations with Mexico," Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela told reporters. He described the decision by Mexican officials to allow Chávez to stay in Mexico's diplomatic compound in Lima as an "unfriendly act" and castigated Mexico's current and former presidents for intervening in Peru's internal affairs.
Mexico's foreign ministry didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Previously held in pre-trial detention, Chávez faces criminal charges over her role in Castillo's alleged coup attempt. At the time, Castillo sought to dissolve Congress in an apparent bid to stop a vote to remove him from power. Lawmakers ousted him anyway.
Chávez missed her most recent court appearances, fueling speculation she had fled to an embassy.
Mexico's former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador loudly opposed the ouster of his fellow leftist Castillo, casting it as a coup by right-wing lawmakers in Peru. López Obrador granted Castillo and his family asylum, although Castillo was arrested before he could get to Mexico's embassy.
Castillo's conservative successor responded by expelling Mexico's ambassador in protest. In 2023, Peru escalated by recalling its ambassador in Mexico City. Peru's latest move to fully break off relations marks a fresh escalation.
Much like her predecessor, Mexico's current President Claudia Sheinbaum has staunchly backed Castillo, arguing he did not attempt a coup but was instead the victim of one.
Beyond the diplomatic moves and counter-moves, political asylum is an increasingly sore subject in Peru. In recent years, Castillo's wife Lilia Paredes was granted asylum and safe passage to Mexico despite Peru's protests. Similarly, the wife of ex-President Ollanta Humala, former First Lady Nadine Heredia, was granted asylum in Brazil after she was sentenced to prison for laundering campaign funds from a Brazilian construction company.
In both cases, Peru's prior administration recognized the rights of other countries to grant asylum to its nationals and allowed them to leave the country.
On Monday, De Zela did not say whether Jerí's government would recognize asylum for Chávez.
