Ecuador Expels Cuba's Diplomats

Just days before the "Shield of the Americas” Summit in Miami last week, Ecuador expelled Cuba's entire diplomatic delegation.

The summit, organized to “eradicate the criminal cartels plaguing our region," brought together a group of right-leaning Latin American leaders aligned with the Trump administration.

Ecuador initially offered no explanation, but President Daniel Noboa later said in an interview that Cuba’s diplomats were “interfering” in the country’s politics. He cited “sufficient evidence,” but presented none.

The two countries have had diplomatic relations since 1960 and grew closer during Rafael Correa’s presidency (2007-2017).

Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the decision arbitrary and unjustified.

“It does not seem coincidental that this action has been taken in a context characterized by the intensification of U.S. aggression against Cuba and strong pressure from the U.S. government on third countries to join in this policy,” Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.