The president of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo, demanded that his Mexican counterpart Andrés Manuel López Obrador respect the decisions of his government and reiterated his support for the foreign minister of his country, Erika Mouynes, for opposing the appointment as ambassador of the historian Pedro Salmerón, accused of sexual harassment.
“The foreign minister of Panama is a great professional, she has all my support and all my respect,” Cortizo said, after a questioning from the press.
Read: Panama rejects Pedro Salmerón as ambassador; AMLO proposes Jesusa Rodríguez
López Obrador “has the right to appoint whoever he likes, but Panama is sovereign to decide who he says yes to and who says no,” Cortizo said.
“We are respectful not only of Mexico, but of all countries and we demand respect for Panama. Respect is earned and that is what we demand, both from the president of Mexico and from any other country, the Panamanian president added.
“The president of Mexico has the right to appoint whoever he likes, Panama is sovereign to decide who he says yes and who he says no to,” were part of the words of Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo on the diplomatic dispute between the two countries #TReporta pic.twitter.com/e3NLAP1JXD.
— Telemetro Reporta (@TReporta) February 4, 2022
Cortizo’s statements come after on February 1 López Obrador announced the change of the candidacy for ambassador of Mexico in Panama after the rejection of Pedro Salmerón by the Central American country, after accusations of sexual harassment.
Read: A bully should not be an ambassador: collective of students asks to reconsider the appointment of Pedro Salmerón
“It turns out that we proposed it for ambassador to Panama and, as if it were the Holy Inquisition, the foreign minister of Panama was dissatisfied that because they disagreed with ITAM,” the president said.
“Well, we are going to present a proposal, to see if the government of Panama accepts it. I don’t think the president of Panama is aware, I think this has more to do with the foreign minister,” he said in his morning conference.
That same day, López Obrador announced that the alternate senator, Jesusa Rodríguez, would be proposed as ambassador to Panama.
ITAM students rejected the appointment of Pedro Salmerón as ambassador to Panama, accused of sexual harassment by students of the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico during his period as a professor.
According to student groups, Pedro Salmerón also has accusations in the MeTooAcadémicosMx account, in the UNAM, as well as within the Morena party,
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