The government of Ecuador expelled on Wednesday all the Cuban diplomatic personnel accredited in the Andean country, including its ambassador, Basilio Gutiérrez. It also proceeded to recall its ambassador in Havana, which means the rupture of diplomatic relations with the island. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador detailed that all personnel of the island's diplomatic mission accredited in Quito have been declared personae non gratae and have a 48-hour deadline to leave the country. The executive of right-wing President Daniel Noboa justified this announcement based on Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. In turn, Noboa ordered the return of the Ecuadorian ambassador in Havana, José María Borja, who had been serving in the role since 2021, with also service in Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Dominica. The decree is based on what is established in Article 141 of the Constitution, which states that the president exercises the executive function and is head of State and Government, and mentions that Article 147 empowers him to appoint and remove public officials. These decisions by Noboa come just days before he travels to the United States to participate in a summit of presidents of Latin American countries with Donald Trump, with whom the Ecuadorian administration has strengthened ties and supported in its foreign policy, such as with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Thus, Noboa opens a new diplomatic crisis with another Latin American country after already having broken relations with Venezuela, Mexico, and Nicaragua following the capture of former correista Vice President Jorge Glas in a raid on the Mexican embassy, when he had already received diplomatic asylum.
