Quito, Ecuador — The Cuban diplomatic mission in Ecuador left the country on Friday, ending a 48-hour deadline given by the government of Daniel Noboa to leave.
Before the diplomatic staff left, the Cuban flag was removed from the embassy in northern Quito.
In a statement released Friday, Cuba’s foreign ministry confirmed that its embassy in Quito was ceasing all operations and reiterated its regrets over the Ecuadorian government’s “unilateral and unfriendly action.”
Ecuador on Wednesday declared Cuba’s ambassador, Basilio Antonio Gutierrez, and his diplomatic staff “persona non grata” and gave them 48 hours to leave the South American country.
Shortly after the announcement, a man was seen burning a paper bag in an oven on the roof of the Cuban Embassy in Quito. The burning was witnessed by the Associated Press and later posted on social media in a video by President Noboa, who bluntly called it “paper barbecue.”
Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the move was adopted within the framework of international diplomatic law, but did not say why they were forcing the diplomats to leave. The Vienna Convention allows countries to declare diplomatic personnel non-persona grata without explanation.
The diplomatic rift comes just days before US President Donald Trump is due to meet several conservative Latin American leaders, including Noboa, in Florida. It coincides with increasing US pressure on countries that sell oil to Cuba, which Trump has recently characterized as a “failed country” and tensions have risen since the January 3 capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a US military operation in Caracas.
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