Ecuadorian soldiers patrol in front of the Cuban embassy in Quito on March 4, 2026. Photo: Rodrigo Buendia/AFP/Getty Images.
Ecuador has declared Cuba’s ambassador in Quito, Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez García, persona non grata, granting him 48 hours to leave the country in a move that raises questions about the future of bilateral relations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility notified the Cuban Embassy of the decision on March 4, invoking Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which allows a state to declare members of a diplomatic mission as persona non grata without requiring to justify such declarations.
This recent measure applies not only to Ambassador Gutiérrez but also to consular, administrative, and support staff accredited in Quito.
🔴 #Atención || Se reporta presencia militar en los exteriores de la Embajada de Cuba en Quito. Esto, tras la decisión del gobierno de Ecuador de declarar persona ‘non grata’ al embajador de Cuba, Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez García, así como a toda la misión diplomática de ese país… pic.twitter.com/OPolzRdDq4
— Radio Pichincha (@radio_pichincha) March 4, 2026
The official communication did not specify the reasons behind the expulsion nor whether it signals a rupture in diplomatic ties, but the measure enters into force upon signing the decree and entrusts its execution to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility.
According to this, the Cuban mission has 48 hours to vacate Ecuadorian territory.
Simultaneously, President Daniel Noboa signed Executive Decree 317, terminating the functions of Ecuador’s ambassador to Cuba, José María Borja López. The decree also ended Borja’s concurrent responsibilities in Dominica, Jamaica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The move underscores a significant shift in Ecuador’s foreign policy, coinciding with the meeting held on Monday between President Noboa and Francis L. Donovan, head of the US Southern Command, and Rear Admiral Mark A. Schafer, head of Special Operations Command South.
The expulsion comes amid growing Ecuadorian alignment with the US. Just one day earlier, both governments announced a joint military operation against “designated terrorist organizations” in Ecuador, an initiative praised as an alleged decisive step against narcoterrorism in the hemisphere, according to the US Southern Command.
The timing also reflects Washington’s increasing pressure on Cuba, as amid the commercial, economic, and financial blockade imposed against the country, the Trump administration has tightened new restrictions on oil shipments to the island.
Ecuador and the US maintain a security alliance that has grown stronger since far-right Daniel Noboa took office in 2023.
Cuban rejection
Cuba strongly rejects “the arbitrary and unjustified decision of the Government of Ecuador” to expel the entire staff of the Cuban Embassy in that country.
In an official statement, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that this measure “constitutes an unfriendly and unprecedented act that seriously damages the historic relations of friendship and cooperation between both countries and peoples.”
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The Ministry categorically reaffirmed that the staff of the Cuban Embassy in Quito has strictly respected the laws and regulations of the country, rejecting any interference in the internal affairs of the Ecuadorian State. It also assures that these actions demonstrate “the contempt of the current Ecuadorian Government for the diplomatic practices and courtesies observed by the international community.”
“It is no coincidence that this decision comes in a context marked by the intensification of US aggression against Cuba and the strong pressures exerted by Washington on third countries to align with that policy,” denounces the statement, in a context of an upcoming summit convened for next March 7 with a small group of government representatives from the region in Miami.
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/
