The government of Ecuador declared the Cuban ambassador in Quito and all diplomatic, consular, and administrative staff of the mission persona non grata, granting them a 48-hour deadline to leave the country.
The decision was officially communicated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador in a diplomatic note dated March 4 and addressed to the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in that country.
In the document, the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry states that the measure is adopted in accordance with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, which allows a state to declare members of a diplomatic mission persona non grata.
The provision affects Ambassador Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez García and all members of the diplomatic, consular, and administrative staff accredited at the Cuban mission in Quito.
The official text states that, in accordance with diplomatic practice, the Ecuadorian government grants a 48-hour period for the ambassador and the mentioned officials to leave national territory from the time of notification.
The agency Prensa Latina reported that the measure was communicated by the Directorate of Ceremonial and Protocol of the Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and applies to all officials of the Cuban diplomatic mission.
On its part, the Ecuadorian digital media Periodismo EC noted that the decision was communicated along with the official document circulating on social media, which confirms the declaration of persona non grata for the ambassador and the rest of the embassy staff.
According to reports cited by Prensa Latina, the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry stated that it would provide more information on the matter throughout the day.
For his part, the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, also signed an executive decree that terminates the functions of the Ecuadorian ambassador to Cuba, José María Borja López.
The provision ends his position as head of the diplomatic mission of Ecuador in Havana.
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