Brazil, Nicaragua Expel Each Other’s Ambassadors Amid Diplomatic Tensions
This move follows the recent deterioration in ties between the two formerly allied leftist governments.
Brazil and Nicaragua’s diplomatic relations soured further on Thursday as both nations expelled each other’s ambassadors.
This move follows the recent deterioration in ties between the two formerly allied leftist governments.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva decided to expel Nicaragua’s ambassador in Brasilia after Nicaraguan authorities ordered Brazil’s envoy in Managua to leave the country, Reuters reports.
Lula’s chief of staff, Rui Costa, cited the principle of reciprocity in diplomacy, stating, “As the Brazilian ambassador there was asked to leave the country, reciprocity in this case means that the ambassador here also left.”
The deepening diplomatic rift between Brazil’s President Lula and other left-wing governments in Latin America has been highlighted by a recent spat, particularly over the contentious Venezuelan presidential election.
Lula has publicly denounced Venezuela’s failure to release official election results, exacerbating tensions.
The situation escalated further when Brazil ordered Nicaraguan diplomat Patricia Castro Matus to leave the country, following Nicaragua’s expulsion of Brazilian Ambassador Breno de Souza da Costa. This diplomatic fallout culminated in Nicaraguan Vice-President Rosario Murillo confirming the ambassador’s departure from Managua, with Castro Matus set to return to Nicaragua to assume a role in the economy ministry.
The diplomatic rift between Brazil and Nicaragua has its roots in last month’s tensions, which began when Brazil’s ambassador was rebuked for not attending the 45th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution, prompting threats of expulsion.
Relations had already been strained earlier when President Lula tried to mediate the release of Catholic bishop Rolando Jose Alvarez, a vocal critic of President Daniel Ortega, at the request of Pope Francis.
However, Lula’s attempts to contact Ortega were met with silence, further exacerbating the diplomatic discord. Since then, Brazil has scaled back its diplomatic engagement with Nicaragua, limiting its focus to addressing the needs of Brazilian citizens in the country.
