The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, provided new information on Monday that justifies the decision to declare the ambassador of Cuba in Quito and all diplomatic, consular, and administrative staff of the mission as persona non grata.
In a press conference, he stated that there was "considerable interference from Cuba in political activities, in dissent activities, and even in violent activities in some cases."
The leader explained that, after having "sufficient evidence," he communicated to the Cuban officials that they should return to their homes.
Noboa described with surprise that immediately after the notification, the Cuban diplomats began to destroy documents on the rooftop of the premises.
"Instantly, they started to burn a whole bunch of papers on the terrace, a barbecue of papers. And one says, 'But why are they doing that? Diplomatic documents have protection.' They can take their diplomatic documents; we can’t touch them... Yet, they still burned the papers," he pointed out, highlighting the tension that followed the expulsion order.
The measure was formalized on Wednesday, March 4, through a diplomatic note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, without providing any explanation. It only referenced the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, which allows for the declaration of a member of a diplomatic mission as persona non grata.
The Ecuadorian government gave Cuban diplomats 48 hours to leave the country, including Ambassador Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez García, and signed an executive decree that terminated the functions of the Ecuadorian ambassador in Cuba, José María Borja López.
After the order to leave, local media broadcast images of Cuban diplomats removing official symbols from the headquarters, while Ecuadorian police and military personnel supervised the evacuation.
The last official, possibly the ambassador, left with his face completely covered.
From Havana, the Cuban Foreign Ministry rejected the measure, describing it as "arbitrary, unjustified, and hostile."
The MINREX reported that the expulsion was occurring "without any argument" and denounced it as an "unfriendly and unprecedented act" that demonstrates "disregard" for international diplomatic norms.
The Cuban decision included the immediate closure of the embassy, the removal of all symbols, and the suspension of activities in Quito starting from March 6.
The expulsion of Cuban diplomats and the burning of documents inside the embassy have ignited a new chapter of tension between Quito and Havana, with immediate repercussions for the bilateral relationship.
The Castro regime suggested that Quito's decision is due to pressure from the United States on Latin American countries, just a few days before the "Shield of the Americas" summit took place in Miami last Saturday.
Meanwhile, the departure of the Cuban staff was accompanied by a deployment of Ecuadorian security around the diplomatic mission, which remains empty following the withdrawal of the team.
From Cuba, the Foreign Ministry insisted that its officials strictly complied with the law and the Vienna Convention, describing the Ecuadorian decision as an unfriendly act that could negatively impact future cooperation between the two countries.
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