MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Nicaragua decries El Salvador invaded its territorial waters

El Salvador has raised objections to a recent agreement between Managua and Tegucigalpa regarding territorial waters

The Nicaraguan Government of President Daniel Ortega Monday decried military naval forces of El Salvador had violated its maritime spaces for reasons yet to be determined, since there is no bilateral territorial dispute between the two Central American countries.

According to Nicaragua's Foreign Ministry, the violations took place in the of the Gulf of Foseca area which separates waters from the two countries.

Authorities in Managua described the acts carried out by armed Salvadorean units as provocative.

Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada sent a note of protest to his Salvadoran counterpart, Alexandra Hill, in which he detailed the incursions of several military vessels, in a “provocative attitude and even stopping their march for several hours”.

Moncada highlighted Nicaragua strongly rejected “the violation of its sovereignty by the Republic of El Salvador” and underlined his Government was “respectful of International Law and has historically demonstrated this in the indicated area.”

Managua then urged San Salvador to resume “the efforts to maintain the maritime spaces in the Gulf of Fonseca and the Pacific Ocean, as zones of peace, sustainable development and security.”

Moncada's note also pointed out El Salvador has never before claimed sovereignty over the maritime space in which the events occurred.

The new incident took place after the Oct. 27 signing of a bilateral treaty between Nicaragua and Honduras regarding jurisdictional waters in the Gulf of Fonseca, to which El Salvador has objected.