United States ambassador to Mexico Christopher Landau announced Friday that he would be leaving his post due to the imminent change of government in the U.S.

“With the change of government in the United States on January 20, my position as ambassador in Mexico will come to an end,” he announced on Twitter.

“One of my great pleasures has been this communication with hundreds of thousands of Mexicans though social media – the new channel of diplomacy, especially during the pandemic,” Landau wrote.

His post had attracted 3,000 generally favorable comments and 27,000 “likes” by 1:00 p.m.

“Dear friend and colleague, thanks for all the collaboration, friendship and dialogue these years. We’ll see each other soon and continue working for the benefit of our people. A hug,” responded Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, Martha Barcena, who announced last month that she would soon leave her post.

Landau, formerly a lawyer, assumed the ambassadorial role in August 2019, more than a year after his predecessor, Roberta Jacobson, resigned.

During his almost 1 1/2 years in the job, he cultivated a strong following among Mexican Twitter users, many of whom praised him for his apparent love of Mexico and his promotion of its culture, food and traditions. As of Friday he had nearly 280,000 followers on the social media network.

He has also courted controversy at different times during his tenure. Not long after he arrived in Mexico, Landau triggered a heated debate on Twitter after criticizing painter and cultural icon Frida Kahlo for her support of communism.

He raised eyebrows in November 2019 by traveling to Michoacán because his own government warns against travel to that state and last month said that traveling in Mexico is safe during the coronavirus pandemic if one follows established health protocols.

That advice stood in stark contrast to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s warning against all travel to Mexico.

Landau also made the news when he declared last June that it’s not a good time to invest in Mexico because the government has not fulfilled its promise not to change investment rules. He subsequently revised his remark.

Mexico News Daily