The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg decided to suspend its diplomatic activities in Managua as of February 1, 2022, a day after its current charge d’affaires Joe Geisbusch ends his mission in the country, according to an official letter sent to the diplomatic missions based. In Nicaragua.
In the same communication, it is reported that bilateral relations will continue with Nicaragua through the embassy of that country in Washington, the capital of the United States, however, the reasons for the decision that was communicated are not explained, according to diplomatic sources. , on Monday, January 3, a week before the new inauguration of Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo.
Ortega and Murillo will assume a second consecutive term as presidential couple, after last November’s votes classified by the international community as illegitimate and carried out under the shadow of repression and the imposition of a de facto police state on citizens that violates their freedoms. public since September 2018.
Why did they make this decision?
CONFIDENTIAL wrote a request for information to the mail of the Grand Duchy in Managua, to request the version of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, until now there is no answer on the reasons that led its authorities to make this decision on the diplomatic headquarters in Nicaragua, one of its seven partner countries in the world, according to the information they provide on their own electronic portal.
According to Nicaragua’s external cooperation report in 2020, Luxembourg has donated to the public sector between 2007 and 2020, a total of 89.6 million dollars. Its support has focused on sectors such as tourism, health, drinking water programs, blood transfusion, among others of great social interest.
In July 2018, three months after the start of the state repression against citizens in Nicaragua, the Grand Duchy declared itself concerned about the deterioration of the situation in the country and condemned the escalation of violence, repression and arbitrary detentions that took place in that country. moment, which motivated the freezing then of funds to the Government of Nicaragua.
“Nicaragua has been a partner country of the Luxembourg Cooperation since the 1990s. Our cooperation has always been based on respect for human rights and democratic values. Given the current situation, Luxembourg has taken the necessary measures, including freezing disbursements directed to the Government and suspending the process of signing the new Indicative Cooperation Program with the Government of Nicaragua. Luxembourg is strengthening its support to civil society and human rights organizations on the ground, and is also concentrating on regional aspects of cooperation in Central America, “they lamented, according to the statement released at the time.
The Ortega regime, so far, has not ruled on the Luxembourg decision, which adds to the state of isolation of the dictatorship after the votes last November.
At this key moment in Nicaraguan history, accessing reliable information is more important than ever. That is why, at CONFIDENTIAL, we have kept our news coverage free and free for all, without paywalls. This commitment to citizens would not be possible without the support of our readers. Therefore, we invite you to support our work by joining our Membership Program or by making a donation. By becoming a member, you will receive exclusive products such as eBooks, specialized newsletters and historical digital archives. As a donor, we will send you an annual report on how we invest your financial contribution. Thank you, in advance, for being part of this collective effort to inform our entire community.
