The image does not require interpretation.
On February 25, one day after the invasion of the Russian army in Ukraine, the general director for Europe of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bernardo Aguilar) posted three photographs on his Twitter account (@baguilarc) where his smile shines Colgate.
The photographs could be read as a blog or album of the official whose interest in uploading them to his networks, perhaps, is to demonstrate to his followers that he has daily diplomatic interaction activities, however, in the photographs of his February 25 tweet he appears together with the Ukrainian ambassador to Mexico, Oksana Dramaretska.
A few hours earlier, the Russian army began the ground invasion of Ukraine. The ambassador’s face says it all: he is sad, dislocated. Bernardo Aguilar, turning towards the camera, closes his mouth, but draws the point of a parabola. In the remaining two photos he lets out a Colgate smile.
The images are asymmetrical, reflecting an ambassador whose country is being taken over by Russian troops. On the other hand, the official has the peace of mind that she will collect her fortnight at the end of the month.
The existence of professionals in social networks in the Foreign Ministry would have prevented Aguilar from taking photographs with the ambassador simply because the occasion did not allow it.
The SRE has an area dedicated to protocols; It is taken for granted that a wake is not attended with a mariachi, or yes, at the request of the family of the deceased. In Dublin they could have a drink to say goodbye to the deceased. The world of death is diverse. The war one, no. Dedicating smiles to the camera next to the diplomatic representative whose country has been forced to attend a war, seems an act of indolence. It doesn’t look like it is.
But at the bottom of the symbolic detail there is another matter: the SRE relegates Ambassador Dramaretska.
Ambassador Dramaretska was not received by high officials of the Foreign Ministry before the war.
His presence at the facilities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not obey an invitation, but rather the initiative of a group of ambassadors from European countries who attended a meeting with Secretary Ebrard. A few hours earlier, the same group of ambassadors had visited the Ukrainian diplomat at the embassy headquarters to show her support.
The rudeness of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is symptomatic; reflects the supposed infinite distance between Mexico and Ukraine.
The Government of President López Obrador does not consider a scenario that implies the detonation of nuclear weapons. It is probable that the executive director of Strategy and Public Diplomacy, José Alfonso Zegbe Camarena, does have such a scenario on his desk. But the best thing for Ebrard’s team is not to bother President AMLO in the morning with unpleasant scenarios.
This could have been, for example, the reason why Ebrard posted a photograph of a Los Angeles gas station on his Twitter account: “33.75 pesos per liter of regular gasoline in Los Angeles. 21.18 the magna in Mexico ”.
A course in Basic Economics begins with the “free breakfast trap”. Subsidies “someone” pays them.
Symbols count, and in diplomacy they represent speeches, actions, decisions. The consultation with the Russian ambassadors would have been enriching and, at the same time, it would send a message abroad and within.
Hopefully the SRE bureaucracy has learned that it’s no good showing Colgate smiles alongside a sad ambassador.
@faustopretelin
Consultant, academic, editor
Globali… what?
He was a research professor in the Department of International Studies at ITAM, published the book Referendum Twitter and was an editor and collaborator in various newspapers such as 24 Horas, El Universal, Milenio. He has published in magazines such as Foreign Affairs, Le Monde Diplomatique, Life & Style, Chilango and Revuelta. He is currently an editor and columnist at El Economista.