LIMA -- The government of Peru has decided to break diplomatic relations with Mexico, Peruvian Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela told a press conference on Monday.

The minister said Betssy Chavez, former prime minister of the Pedro Castillo government, who is prosecuted for a failed coup attempt in December 2022, is being granted asylum at the residence of the Mexican embassy in Lima.

"In response to this unfriendly act, and considering the repeated instances in which the current and former presidents of that country (Mexico) have interfered in Peru's internal affairs, the Peruvian government has decided, as of today, to break diplomatic relations with Mexico," he said.