Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been summoned to Claudia Sheinbaum’s inauguration as president of Mexico, according to information released by the Tass agency and the newspaper News, which cite the embassies of both countries. In Mexico, it is clarified that this is not yet a formal invitation, but rather a “diplomatic note” extended to all countries with which bilateral relations exist. It is pointed out that it is a kind of reminder with protocolary overtones for the guests to set aside the date of the ceremony, next October 1.
The diplomatic notice did not come from Sheinbaum’s team, but was sent by the Mexican government. “In accordance with our diplomatic protocol, the Government of Mexico sent diplomatic notes to all the nations of the world with which it maintains relations and international organizations in which it holds membership to participate in the ceremony of the transfer of command of the virtual president-elect of the United Mexican States, Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, for the 2024-2030 Administration,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Morning Express.
“Mexico is a traditionally friendly partner of Russia in the Latin American region,” Putin said on June 3, the day after the presidential elections. In his congratulatory message, released by the Russian Foreign Ministry, the president expressed his hope that Sheinbaum’s arrival would translate into the “further development of constructive cooperation between the two countries.” The presidential candidate of Morena, Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s party, thanked the good wishes and hoped that “dialogue and the search for opportunities for cooperation will be constant between our countries,” in the same tone she used in other congratulatory messages abroad.
“The Russian president will decide whether he will participate in the ceremony himself or appoint another high-ranking official to do so on his behalf,” the Izvestia report reads. Russian media outlets note that Putin has an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, a body to which Mexico is subject, which may complicate his participation in the ceremony. The formal invitation is expected to be extended later to the Russian government, as well as to the representations of other countries.
Other invitations to the Kremlin have caused controversy in Mexico. A Russian delegation, for example, participated in a military parade in September last year, in the midst of an offensive against Ukraine. López Obrador defended the decision and attributed the “scandal” to the fact that it was Russia. “We have relations with all the countries of the world and everyone is invited,” declared the Mexican president. The Kiev embassy in Mexico repudiated the invitation and criticized the Mexican government’s neutral stance in the invasion of Ukrainian territory. Questions about relations with Moscow, whether justified or not, also became evident during the pandemic, after the purchase of the Sputnik V vaccine.
After the information was published in Russia, the reaction in Mexico has been similar. The Foreign Ministry reiterates that formal invitations will be extended to 208 leaders and representatives of 34 international organizations, without special treatment for any head of state or government. In 2018, López Obrador also invited Putin to his inauguration, but he did not attend. In his place was Olga Epifanova, the vice president of the Duma, who transmitted an invitation for the Mexican president to visit Russia, which also did not materialize. The last president to visit Russian territory was Enrique Peña Nieto, who attended a G20 meeting in St. Petersburg in 2013.
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