The expulsion of more than twenty officials from the island and the withdrawal of Ecuador’s ambassador in Havana mark a political freeze between the two countries. Quito’s decision, criticised by Havana and by social sectors, comes in a regional context of geopolitical realignments.
Last Friday marked the end of the 48-hour deadline given by the government for the departure of the Cuban ambassador, Basilio Gutiérrez, and another twenty officials accredited in Quito.
The measure was announced on 4 March by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, which declared Gutiérrez persona non grata, as well as members of the diplomatic, consular and administrative staff of the mission.
The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry indicated that the decision is based on Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which allows a state to withdraw recognition of foreign diplomats at any time. At the same time, Ecuador’s president, Daniel Noboa, ordered the return of Ecuador’s ambassador to Cuba, José María Borja, who had held the post since 2021.
Although the government did not formally announce a break in relations, the expulsion of diplomatic staff and the withdrawal of its representative in the Caribbean nation effectively amount to a freeze in political relations between the two countries.
The Ecuadorian government has also not publicly detailed the reasons for the decision. In a subsequent radio interview, Noboa referred to a video circulated on social media showing a person destroying documents on the roof of the Cuban embassy in Quito.
Although this is considered a common practice after the closure of a diplomatic mission, as provided for under international law, the president told Radio Canela that he did not think it was “anything positive if they were burning papers on the terrace”.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry rejected the expulsion and described the measure as “arbitrary and unjustified”.
“It is an unfriendly and unprecedented act that significantly damages the historic relations of friendship and cooperation between both countries and their peoples,” the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel also described the actions of the Ecuadorian government towards the diplomatic representation as “unjustified, hostile and unfriendly”, saying they “damage the historic relations of friendship and cooperation between our peoples”.
Former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa (2007–2017) responded on the social network X, telling the leader of the Caribbean nation that “henchmen may break relations, but our peoples will always be brothers, sheltered by the greatness of (José) Martí and (Eloy) Alfaro”.
The diplomatic crisis comes just days before a meeting convened in the United States by President Donald Trump with right-wing Latin American leaders, which has led various analysts to interpret the Ecuadorian decision within a broader geopolitical context in the hemisphere.
Ecuadorian citizens gathered outside the Cuban embassy in Quito in recent days to express their rejection of the measure, carrying banners and chanting slogans in support of the island. Opposition politicians and several civil organisations also expressed support, including the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), the Network of Intellectuals and Artists in Defence of Humanity, and the Ecuadorian Coordinator of Friendship and Solidarity with Cuba.
The political movement Citizens’ Revolution, led by Correa, criticised the decision of the Ecuadorian government and accused the Noboa administration of aligning itself with the foreign policy of the United States.
For Ecuadorian sociologist and communicator Irene León, the measure represents a shift in the country’s foreign policy.
Speaking to Prensa Latina, León agreed that the expulsion of the Cuban diplomatic mission occurs within a regional context marked by political pressure and geopolitical realignments.
“We are very concerned about this situation and simply want to express our gratitude to the people of Cuba for the solidarity they have always shown to the Ecuadorian people,” said the coordinator of the Ecuadorian chapter of the Network of Intellectuals and Artists in Defence of Humanity. She insisted that this situation in no way reflects the will of the Ecuadorian people or of the country’s political and social movements. (PL)
(Photos: Pixabay)
.jpg)
