Persona non grata: EU ambassador leaves Nicaragua

European Union Ambassador to Nicaragua Bettina Mohaidet left the country on Saturday, three days after President Daniel Ortega’s government declared her “persona non grata”.

This follows a week of diplomatic tension with Nicaragua and the international community.

Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada verbally ordered Bettina Mohaidet to leave the country after an EU delegation called for the release of “political prisoners” at the UN General Assembly last week.

Ortega’s government also announced on Friday that it would suspend diplomatic relations with the Netherlands.

“The Netherlands regrets Nicaragua’s disproportionate decision to break off diplomatic relations,” the Dutch Foreign Minister tweeted on Saturday. “We take a firm stand on the deterioration of democratic structures and human rights violations in Nicaragua.”

He added: “Other countries have noticed the difficulty in maintaining an open dialogue with Nicaragua… We will discuss our next steps with the European Union.”

This, as well as Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario Murillo, announced that the Central American country would not accept the new US-appointed ambassador Hugo Rodriguez as its representative in Managua.

Source: agencies

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