Cuban citizens residing in Ecuador claim that they have never received support from their country's embassy in Quito and expressed their support for President Daniel Noboa's decision to expel the diplomats from the island.
A Cuban citizen residing in Ecuador for over 14 years stated in an interview with the Ecuadorian TC Televisión that the diplomatic representation of Havana did not provide real support to emigrants.
“I have freedom here. I can stand in the middle of the street and say what I want, and nothing happens. If this same interview were conducted in Cuba, you would be kicked out of the country and I would be thrown in jail,” stated the man identified as Jorge Lázaro Leyva during the televised report shared on the X profile of the media outlet.
The migrant also stated that the Cuban embassy "did not provide services for the benefit of its compatriots, but rather for the direct interests of the Castro regime," and expressed his support for the Ecuadorian president's decision to expel the diplomatic staff.
Leyva also asserted, without providing evidence, that a large portion of the officials in the diplomatic mission would be connected to Cuban state security and would not fulfill real diplomatic functions.
On Thursday, the Ecuadorian government granted 48 hours for Cuban diplomats to leave the country. Should they exceed this deadline, they would lose their immunity and be subject to Ecuadorian immigration laws like any foreign citizen.
The decision is part of a diplomatic conflict between both governments that led Ecuador to expel the staff of the Cuban embassy and effectively close the mission in Quito.
Havana's response was swift. On Friday, Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minrex) deeply regretted the "unilateral and unfriendly action by the government of Ecuador," which it considered "to be against the spirit of respect and cooperation that has historically characterized bilateral relations between the two countries."
Similarly, the Foreign Ministry expressed gratitude for the demonstrations of support received from some political sectors and Ecuadorian organizations critical of the measure.
Among them are the International Medical Society SMI-ELAM, the Ecuadorian Coordinator of Friendship and Solidarity with Cuba, the political movement Citizens' Revolution, and the Ecuadorian Communist Party, which denounced the expulsion as a decision aligned with U.S. interests.
The Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel also criticized the expulsion, describing it as an “unjustified, hostile, and unfriendly” action, while accusing the Ecuadorian government of acting with “submission to imperial interests.”
Subsequently, the Minrex announced the immediate removal of the symbols and attributes of its embassy in Quito, whose building officially ceased to operate as a diplomatic headquarters at 10:00 a.m. on March 6th.
The expulsion of Cuban diplomatic personnel marks a new episode of tension between Havana and governments in the region, amidst questioning about the role of the island's official missions abroad.
Filed under: