Cuba’s diplomatic mission in Ecuador departed Friday after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa’s government declared Ambassador Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez and his staff “persona non grata” and gave them 48 hours to leave. Staff removed the Cuban flag from the embassy in northern Quito before departing, and an Associated Press reporter witnessed a staff member burning papers in an oven on the embassy roof in the hours before the deadline expired.
Cuba’s Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement Friday that the Quito embassy had ceased all functions, expressing regret over what it called “the unilateral and unfriendly action” of the Ecuadorian government.
The expulsion, announced Wednesday without a stated reason, came days before U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Noboa and other conservative Latin American leaders in Florida — a diplomatic rupture that aligns with mounting U.S. pressure on nations that maintain ties with Cuba and follows heightened regional tensions since the January capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
QUITO, Ecuador — Cuba’s diplomatic mission in Ecuador departed Friday after President Daniel Noboa’s government declared Ambassador Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez and his staff unwelcome and ordered them out within 48 hours, closing the Cuban embassy in Quito and deepening a rupture that Havana called a “unilateral and unfriendly action.”
Staff removed the Cuban flag from the embassy in northern Quito before the delegation left. An Associated Press reporter witnessed a staff member on the embassy roof burning papers in an oven in the final hours before the deadline expired. Noboa later posted video of the scene on social media and remarked, “A paper barbecue.”
Cuba’s Foreign Ministry confirmed in a Friday statement that the Quito embassy had ceased all functions and reiterated the Cuban government’s regret over Ecuador’s decision.
Expulsion offered no stated reason
Ecuador declared Gutiérrez and his diplomatic staff persona non grata on Wednesday, triggering the 48-hour order to leave. Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the measure was adopted within the framework of international diplomatic law but offered no explanation. The Vienna Convention permits countries to declare diplomatic personnel persona non grata without providing one.
Regional context
The expulsion came days before Trump is scheduled to meet with Noboa and other conservative Latin American leaders in Florida. The rupture aligns with increased U.S. pressure on nations that sell oil to Cuba, which Trump has characterized as a “failed nation.”
The diplomatic break also followed heightened regional tensions since January 3, when former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — described by the Associated Press as a key Cuban ally — was captured during a U.S. military operation in Caracas.