The administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) announced this Friday that it has increased security “to prevent any attack against the person, freedom and dignity of the Peruvian diplomatic agents” in Mexico, who received death threats in a telephone line.
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Through a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “categorically” condemned the intimidation “proffered on May 31,” and reported that, together with the corresponding authorities, it has already undertaken “the investigations to clarify these unfortunate facts.”
The head of the Cabinet, Alberto Otárola, revealed that he heard the recording and that “the threats are serious.” In addition, he recalled that bilateral relations are at the level of business managers, although he considered that “this case is an issue that we do not want to ignore” because it is “a very threatening and intimidating recording.”
In a subsequent letter, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that, on Wednesday night, the Peruvian business manager “received a death threat, through an anonymous message sent via WhatsApp to the emergency cell phone” of the Consulate General in Mexico City.
Statement from the Mexican Government
“You have 48 hours to get out of Mexico or we’ll take you out in a garbage bag,” said one of the messages addressed to Julio Reinoso, who is in Mexico City to conclude trade relations that were also paused between the two countries. in the escalation of diplomatic tensions.
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The audios, in which there are also disrespectful references to Boluarte, were referred to the police in the Mexican capital to alert them to the situation and request security reinforcements in the consular building. Similarly, the Peruvian authorities filed a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office of that country.
It comes a week after the Legislature declared the Mexican president persona non grata for his repeated statements on Peru’s internal affairs and the refusal to transfer the presidency of the Pacific Alliance to the country, after the removal and imprisonment of former president Pedro Castillo.
AMLO has described the president as a “usurper” and declared that he is considering handing over command of the Alliance to President Gabriel Boric (Chile). “I am not going to give it to the lady who is usurping the Presidency, I am going to send a letter to President Boric, that they no longer blame us politicians in Peru,” she challenged.
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Bilateral relations were already strained. At the end of last year, the Boluarte government ordered the Mexican ambassador in Lima, Pablo Monroy, to leave the country after AMLO’s first endorsement of Castillo.
In February, Peru’s ambassador to Mexico was removed in response to comments by López Obrador, who cut off economic ties with Lima. “As long as there is no democratic normality in Peru, we do not want economic or commercial relations with them,” he said.
This is the latest chapter in the escalation of diplomatic tensions since Castillo was removed from the Executive when he tried to close Congress, which was then drawing the first signs of an investigation for leading an alleged criminal network from the presidential chair.
In addition to AMLO, Congress has classified Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Bolivia’s former incumbent Evo Morales as persona non grata for similar criticism of Boluarte.