The Cuban regime announced on Friday the closure of its embassy in Quito and the immediate withdrawal of all diplomatic symbols and attributes from the premises, after the Ecuadorian government expelled all personnel from the mission.
Images released by local media showed a steady stream of vehicles and officials leaving the embassy.
The measure marks an escalation in the diplomatic crisis between both countries, which has intensified in the last 48 hours.
"The ambassador is still there", a hurried embassy official told the press.
The last of the officials, possibly the ambassador, left with his face completely covered.
"Police personnel outside the diplomatic premises reported that the building is empty, noted the digital outlet Only Panas, which covered the departure of the Cuban diplomatic staff."
In an official statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba (MINREX) announced that the decision is in response to an order from Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa to declare persona non grata all members of the Cuban delegation in that country.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba, in response to the arbitrary, unjustified, and hostile decision of the government of the Republic of Ecuador to declare all Cuban diplomatic, consular, and administrative personnel accredited in that country as persona non grata, due to the inability to maintain a diplomatic presence, has decided to discontinue the use of the property utilized as the headquarters of the Embassy of Cuba," the official statement notes.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry also explained that all official symbols were immediately removed from the diplomatic headquarters in Quito.
"Starting at 10:00 a.m. (Quito time) on March 6, 2026, the property that has hosted the Embassy of Cuba in Ecuador will cease its functions as a diplomatic headquarters," the statement indicated.
The government of Havana described Quito's decision as a "unilateral and unfriendly" action that, according to them, harms the historical relationship between the two countries.
"The government of Cuba deeply regrets the unilateral and unfriendly action taken by the government of Ecuador, which undermines the spirit of respect and cooperation that has historically characterized the bilateral relations between the two countries," concluded MINREX.
The decision to withdraw the diplomatic mission was officially communicated to the Ecuadorian authorities on March 5 by the Cuban embassy in Quito itself.
Diplomats leave the headquarters in Quito
Hours after the announcement, Cuban officials began to withdraw from the diplomatic headquarters located in the Batán Bajo sector, in the northern part of the Ecuadorian capital.
Images released by local media showed members of the mission taking down the flag of Cuba and leaving the building in vehicles.
The departure of the personnel occurred just as the 48-hour deadline set by the Ecuadorian government for diplomats to leave the country was expiring.
The diplomatic crisis erupted on Wednesday, March 4, when President Daniel Noboa declared the Cuban ambassador in Quito, Basilio Gutiérrez, and the 22 officials who made up the island's diplomatic mission, persona non grata.
The decision was formalized through Decree 317, which also ordered the withdrawal of the Ecuadorian ambassador in Havana, José María Borja López, ending his duties as the diplomatic representative to the Cuban government.
Havana rejects the expulsion
Before announcing the closure of its embassy, the Cuban regime had condemned the expulsion of its mission in Ecuador "in the strongest terms."
According to MINREX, the Ecuadorian government declared all embassy officials persona non grata "without providing any justification" and gave them only 48 hours to leave the country.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry described the measure as an "unfriendly and unprecedented act," which it claimed demonstrates the Ecuadorian government's "disregard" for international diplomatic norms.
He also affirmed that the staff of his embassy in Quito has strictly adhered to Ecuadorian laws and has not interfered in the internal affairs of the country, as stipulated by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.
Accusations and growing tension
The crisis escalated when the Ecuadorian president publicly claimed that documents were being destroyed within the Cuban diplomatic mission after the expulsion order became known.
Amid the tension, local media reported the presence of Ecuadorian military personnel in the vicinity of the embassy in Quito, while Cuban officials were carrying out the withdrawal process.
From Havana, the government also hinted that Quito's decision would be related to U.S. pressures on countries in the region to adopt a tougher stance towards the island.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry stated that the expulsion occurs in a context of "increased aggression" from Washington against Cuba and "strong pressures" on third states, just days before a regional summit scheduled to take place in Miami on March 7.
The closure of the Cuban embassy in Ecuador marks one of the most tense episodes in the relationship between the two countries in recent years, leaving both nations without direct diplomatic representation following the reciprocal withdrawal of their ambassadors.
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