The EU calibrates “firm” measures against Nicaragua after the expulsion of its ambassador

First modification: 03/10/2022 – 16:38Last modification: 03/10/2022 – 17:58

The European Union will respond in a “firm and proportionate” manner to Nicaragua’s “unjustified” decision to expel its ambassador to the country, Bettina Muscheidt, and to break relations with the Netherlands. This has been assured in an interview with RFI the spokesman for foreign affairs of the European Commission, Peter Stanowhich has ensured that the community block is calibrating the magnitude of the measures that are going to be adopted in response and that they will be announced in the coming days. “Unjustified and hostile actions that will not only affect relations between Nicaragua and the EU but will also lead to greater international isolation of Nicaragua” Stano said on the RFI antenna.

Declared persona non grata on Friday, EU ambassador Bettina Muscheidt left Managua for Mexico on Saturday, from where she took a flight to France. “The EU deeply regrets and rejects this unjustified and unilateral decision” by the government of Daniel Ortega, she said earlier on Sunday. Joseph Borrellhead of European diplomacy, in a statement.

President Daniel Ortega was re-elected in November 2021 for a fourth consecutive term with all its potential rivals imprisoned or in exile.

“The current political crisis in Nicaragua must be resolved through a genuine dialogue between the government and the opposition,” said Josep Borrell, who assured that “The EU remains open to dialogue with Nicaragua, as long as that dialogue is carried out with respect.”

The international community has condemned the drift of the Nicaraguan regimeespecially after the repression of a wave of anti-government protests in 2018.

The EU and the United States have imposed numerous sanctions against Nicaragua and regime figures in the past four years, citing human rights violations in particular.

(With AFP and RFI community sources)