MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president on Monday defended the participation of a contingent of Russian troopers in a army parade over the weekend.
The presence of the Russian contingent within the Independence parade Saturday drew criticism due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mexico has condemned the invasion however has adopted a coverage of neutrality and has refused to take part in sanctions because it continues to purchase 2020-vintage COVID vaccines from Russia.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador famous {that a} contingent from China additionally participated, and stated that every one the nations Mexico has diplomatic relations with had been invited.
López Obrador acknowledged the difficulty turned “a scandal,” however attributed it to his ongoing spat with the information media, which he believes is towards him.
“The Chinese language had been additionally within the parade, and there wasn’t a lot outcry,” López Obrador stated, noting a Russian contingent had participated up to now, though at instances when that nation was not actively invading its neighbor.
“All of the nations that Mexico has diplomatic relations with had been invited,” he stated.
Nevertheless, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Mexico, Oksana Dramaretska, wrote in her social media accounts that “The civic-military parade in Mexico Metropolis was stained by the participation of a Russian regiment; the boots and arms of those struggle criminals are stained with blood.”
Some members of López Obrador’s Morena social gathering have publicly expressed affection for Russia even after the invasion, and López Obrador has often criticized the USA for sending arms to Ukraine.
López Obrador’s administration has continued to purchase Russia’s Sputnik COVID vaccine and intends to make use of it as a booster shot later this 12 months, together with Cuba’s Abdala vaccine.
Specialists have questioned the usage of these vaccines, together with Mexico’s personal Patria vaccine, as a booster for brand new variants, as a result of all of them had been designed in 2020 to fight variants circulating on the time.