The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (, MINEX) of Guatemala is the executive office in charge of conducting the international relations of the country. This ministry can give the Guatemalan nationality, enforces the immigration laws of the country, preserves the national limits and boundaries, negotiates international treaties and agreements with other countries and preserves the copies of the ones signed by Guatemala. It is appointed by law to preserve the national interests overseas and to be part of the National Security System.
Background and history
Starting in the 19th century, right after independence from Spain was signed, the public administration was slowly organized. There was a first stage when Guatemala was a part of the United Provinces of Central America, and a second stage starting in 1847, when Guatemala became an independent, free and sovereign republic to administer its own public affairs. Through that time, the different executive offices were organized as "secretariats", following the Spanish nomenclature. This terminology included the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, which kept its name until after the Revolution of 1944. Decree #47, passed by the Revolutionary Joint on December 27, 1944, still used this category. However, when the new Constitution came into force on March 15, 1945, the Constitutional system created the Ministries of State. For that reason, Congress passed a bill for the organization of the Executive Branch, which first spoke of a Foreign Affairs Ministry, on April 25, 1945.
Foreign affairs Currently, Guatemala holds diplomatic relations with 152 countries. It has 41 embassies throughout the World, and 4 missions in International Organizations.
Embassy Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary Argentina Rony Abiú Chalí López Australia Connie Taracena Secaira Austria Antonio Roberto Castellanos López Belgium José Alberto Briz Gutiérrez Belize Brazil Julio Armando Martini Herrera Canada Carlos Humberto Jiménez Licona Chile Blanca Rita Claverie de Scioli Colombia Costa Rica Juan Carlos Orellana Juárez Cuba Héctor Iván Espinoza Farfán Dominican Republic Rudy Armando Coxaj López Ecuador Luigi William Ixcot Rojas Egypt Luis Raúl Estévez López El Salvador Luis Rolando Torres Casanova France Francisco Gross-Hernández Kramer Germany José Francisco Calí Tzay Holy See Alfredo Vásquez Rivera Honduras Melvin Armindo Valdez González India Geovani René Castillo Polanco Indonesia Jacobo Cuyún Salguero Israel Atzum Arévalo de Moscoso Italy Japan Ángela María de Lourdes Chávez Bietti Mexico Arturo Romeo Duarte Ortiz Morocco Netherlands Gladys Marithza Ruiz de Vielman Nicaragua Panama Pedro Amado Robles Valle Peru Irma Verónica Araujo Samayoa Russia Guisela Atalida Godínez Sazo South Korea Sara Angelina Solís Castañeda Spain Fernando Molina Girón Sweden Georges De La Roche Du Ronzet Plihal Switzerland Luis Fernando Carranza Cifuentes Taiwan Olga María Aguja Zúñiga Trinidad and Tobago Mario Estuardo Torres Townson Turkey Lars Henrik Pira Pérez United Kingdom Acisclo Domingo Valladares Molina United States Manuel Alfredo Espina Pinto Uruguay Antonio Arenales Forno Venezuela Sandra América Noriega Urizar
Mission Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary OAS Gabriel Edgardo Aguilera Peralta WTO UN (New York) Jorge Skinner-Klee Arenales UN (Geneva) Carla María Rodríguez Mancia
See also Minister of Foreign Affairs (Guatemala) for a list of foreign ministers from 1945 to the present day.
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