Cuba has shut its embassy in Quito after Ecuador gave its diplomats 48 hours to leave the country. The Cuban flag was removed from the embassy in northern Quito before the diplomatic staff departed on Friday.
Cuba’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the embassy is ceasing all functions, expressing regret over what it called the “unilateral and unfriendly action” of the Ecuadorian government. Ecuador had declared Cuba’s ambassador, Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez, and his staff persona non grata on Wednesday, ordering them to leave within 48 hours.
Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry said the measure was taken under international diplomatic law but did not provide a reason. The Vienna Convention allows countries to expel diplomats without explanation. Shortly after the expulsion order, a man was seen burning papers on the embassy roof, which President Daniel Noboa posted on social media, calling it a “paper barbecue.”
The diplomatic rift comes ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and several conservative Latin American leaders, including Noboa, in Florida. It also coincides with increased US pressure on nations selling oil to Cuba, which Trump recently called a “failed nation,” and rising tensions after the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a key Cuban ally, during a US military operation in Caracas on January 3.
