María Faría, appointed ambassador to Costa Rica by Juan Guaidó, Venezuela’s self-proclaimed interim president, left the embassy Thursday at the request of the Costa Rican government, the Foreign Ministry announced.
Faría had taken possession of the embassy on Wednesday.
“Faría pledged to abandon today the Embassy’s headquarters, along with her advisors, in compliance with an express request made by Foreign Minister Manuel E. Ventura,” read a statement from the Foreign Ministry published after a meeting between the two.
During the conversation with Ventura, “Faría apologized to the president of the republic, Carlos Alvarado, and to the people of Costa Rica” for having taken possession of the premises without waiting for the expiration of the “diplomatic term of 60 days given by Costa Rica to the government officials of Nicolás Maduro to leave the country. ”
Faría had entered the diplomatic headquarters on Wednesday morning. Approximately 100 opponents of the Venezuelan government had gathered in front of the premises and prevented access to the three representatives of the Maduro government who are still in office in Costa Rican territory.
Costa Rica is among some 50 other countries that recognize the authority of Juan Guaidó.
Last week, President Alvarado accepted the credentials presented by Faría but granted Maduro’s representatives 60 calendar days — or until April 15 — to leave the country.
Guaidó-appointed ambassador takes possession of Venezuelan embassy in Costa Rica
Editor’s note: The U.S. Department of State provides a good summary of international relations between an embassy and its host country. It has been lightly modified below:
An embassy is the headquarters for Government representatives serving in a foreign country.
While the host government is responsible for the security of diplomats and the area around an embassy, the embassy itself belongs to the country it represents. Representatives of the host country cannot enter an embassy without permission — even to put out a fire — and an attack on an embassy is considered an attack on the country it represents.
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