Russian President Vladimir Putin has declined an invitation to attend the Oct. 1 inauguration ceremony of Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.
“The President of the Russian Federation has appointed his representative, and we have duly informed the Mexicans about this,” Alexander Schetinin, director of the Latin America department, told the RTVI television channel.
The official confirmed that he had received the invitation and stressed that Moscow is very grateful to the Mexican authorities for it.
“The president’s emissary will be there, representing our head of state,” he said.
Putin’s absence avoids a protocol problem, as the press had speculated that the Kremlin chief and US First Lady Jill Biden might be present at the ceremony.
Putin congratulated Sheinbaum on her election victory, in a message in which he highlighted the friendly and partnership relations between Russia and Mexico.
Sheinbaum on Tuesday rejected an invitation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to visit the European country and experience first-hand the effects of the Russian military campaign.
This week, the president-elect confirmed the presence of at least 16 leaders at the inauguration, most of them from Latin America, a list that will include countries such as Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras and Guatemala.
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