The government of Panama called its ambassador to Nicaragua, José De Jesús Martínez, for consultations this Monday, considering itself “affected in its territorial integrity” by Managua, which granted political asylum to former president Ricardo Martinelli on February 7.
The Foreign Ministry of Panama alleged in a press release that Martinelli “has maintained and deployed actions from his diplomatic headquarters for political-partisan purposes.”
“The Republic of Panama feels truly affected in its territorial integrity by the permissive attitude of the Republic of Nicaragua, which flagrantly and repeatedly violates fundamental norms of international law,” the Panamanian Foreign Ministry said in a press release.
Nicaragua granted political asylum at the beginning of February to the former Panamanian president, sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for money laundering. Subsequently, Managua requested a safe passage so that the former president could travel to Nicaragua, which Panama rejected.
The political asylum granted to the former Panamanian president has strained relations between both countries.
Managua has accused Panama of violating asylum conventions by denying Martinelli safe passage to travel.
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