Without explanation, Ecuador orders closure of the Cuban embassy and the expulsion of its staff

Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday ordered the Cuban ambassador and his diplomatic staff to leave Ecuador within 48 hours. The government offered no official explanation for the order, saying only that the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations grants it the prerogative to terminate diplomatic relations with other countries at its discretion.

A man burns documents Wednesday afternoon on the rooftop of the Cuban embassy in Quito.

The ministry also announced it is recalling its ambassador to Cuba, José María Borja, and ending its diplomatic mission in that country.

Cuba’s ambassador to Ecuador, Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez García, acknowledged receiving the order and said his staff is closing the embassy and preparing to leave. “We have been declared personas no grata and are proceeding accordingly,” García said.

In an official statement, the Cuban embassy called the expulsion order “unexpected and unfriendly,” adding there were no discussions with the Ecuadorian government prior to receiving the order. “This was done without providing any explanation and comes as a shock and a surprise. This is an unprecedented act which significantly damages the historic relations of friendship and cooperation between the peoples of our two countries.”

Late Wednesday, a man was seen burning documents in a barbeque oven on the rooftop of the Cuban embassy in Quito.

Several International relations experts believe the expulsion is related to the new agreement between Ecuador and the U.S. in which the U.S. is providing military and intelligence support in Ecuador’s fight against drug trafficking and illegal mining. The agreement was announced Monday in a meeting between President Daniel Noboa and the leadership of the U.S. Military Southern Command. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the two countries carried out joint operations against suspected drug traffickers.

“We don’t know the details, of course, but I think there is little doubt the U.S. conditioned its military support on Ecuador breaking relations with Cuba,” said Raul Bermudez, former foreign affairs vice minister. “From a diplomatic perspective, this action has very little precedent since the two countries have enjoyed a peaceful relationship in recent years. Usually, a diplomatic rupture occurs following binational disputes that cannot be resolved through negotiations.”

Ramon Iglesias, a University of Guayaquil international relations professor, agrees that Ecuador is “bowing down to U.S. pressure” in expelling Cuban diplomats. “I find it troubling that President Noboa is making enemies of its regional neighbors in an effort to please the U.S. government,” he said. “First, there was the tariff war with Colombia that no one can explain and now, the expulsion of the Cubans. I would suggest that the government is charting a very dangerous path forward in the area of regional and international relations.”

A staff member of the Cuban embassy who did not identify himself claims that Noboa is “brown-nosing” U.S. President Donald Trump. “It is very clear what is happening and the Ecuadorian people should be outraged,” the staffer told a Quito radio station reporter Wednesday afternoon outside the Cuban embassy. “Very obviously, this president is desperate after being rejected in his referendum and is trying to save his presidency. He is defying the will of his own people by moving to the far right and by embracing the model of U.S. imperialism.”