{"id":32763,"date":"2026-03-06T16:35:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T21:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ecuador-forces-cuban-diplomats-out-embassy-closes-after-48-hour-deadline\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T16:35:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T21:35:22","slug":"ecuador-forces-cuban-diplomats-out-embassy-closes-after-48-hour-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ecuador-forces-cuban-diplomats-out-embassy-closes-after-48-hour-deadline\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecuador Forces Cuban Diplomats Out, Embassy Closes After 48-Hour Deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

QUITO, Ecuador \u2014 Cuban embassy personnel departed Ecuador on Friday following the expiration of a 48-hour ultimatum issued by President Daniel Noboa’s administration demanding their immediate exit from the country.<\/p>

Embassy workers lowered the Cuban flag from their diplomatic facility in northern Quito before their departure.<\/p>

Cuba’s Foreign Ministry issued a Friday statement announcing the complete closure of embassy operations in Quito while expressing disappointment over what it called “the unilateral and unfriendly action” taken by Ecuador’s leadership.<\/p>

The South American nation on Wednesday branded Cuban Ambassador Basilio Antonio Guti\u00e9rrez and his entire diplomatic team as unwelcome individuals, ordering their departure within two days.<\/p>

Following the expulsion announcement, witnesses observed someone on the embassy rooftop destroying documents by fire in what appeared to be an oven. The Associated Press captured the incident, which President Noboa later shared on social media with the comment: “A paper barbecue.”<\/p>

Ecuador’s foreign affairs department stated the expulsion followed established international diplomatic protocols but provided no explanation for forcing the departure. Under the Vienna Convention, nations may remove diplomatic personnel without justification.<\/p>

This diplomatic breakdown comes just before President Trump’s scheduled Florida meeting with multiple conservative Latin American officials, including Noboa. The timing coincides with heightened U.S. sanctions against countries conducting oil trade with Cuba, which Trump recently labeled a “failed nation,” and follows rising tensions after the January 3rd U.S. military capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, a close Cuban partner, in Caracas.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cuban diplomatic personnel departed Ecuador on Friday following a government order declaring them unwelcome. Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa gave Cuba’s ambassador and staff 48 hours to leave, though officials haven’t explained the reasoning behind the expulsion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":32762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772832921733.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-8wr","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":33518,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ecuador-expels-cuban-ambassador-diplomatic-staff-in-48-hour-deadline\/","url_meta":{"origin":32763,"position":0},"title":"Ecuador Expels Cuban Ambassador, Diplomatic Staff in 48-Hour Deadline","author":"Admin","date":"March 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Ecuador has ordered Cuba's ambassador and diplomatic team to leave the country within 48 hours, declaring them unwelcome. The South American nation provided no explanation for the expulsion, which comes as Ecuador strengthens military cooperation with the United States.","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772915597939.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772915597939.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772915597939.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772915597939.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33634,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ecuador-orders-cuban-ambassador-to-leave-country-within-48-hours\/","url_meta":{"origin":32763,"position":1},"title":"Ecuador Orders Cuban Ambassador to Leave Country Within 48 Hours","author":"Admin","date":"March 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Ecuador's government has expelled Cuban Ambassador Basilio Gutierrez and his diplomatic team, ordering them to depart within two days. Officials have not disclosed the reasoning behind President Daniel Noboa's decision to declare the Cuban diplomats unwelcome.","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772930032997.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772930032997.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772930032997.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772930032997.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772930032997.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40362,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/havana-denies-u-s-embassy-diesel-request-amid-ongoing-fuel-tensions\/","url_meta":{"origin":32763,"position":2},"title":"Havana Denies U.S. Embassy Diesel Request Amid Ongoing Fuel Tensions","author":"Admin","date":"March 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Cuban officials have rejected the U.S. Embassy's request to import diesel fuel for generators while the Trump administration maintains its fuel embargo on the island nation. 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President Miguel Diaz-Canel joined the cycling caravan that passed by the American Embassy, as Cuba faces severe fuel shortages from ongoing economic restrictions.","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775161313825.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":27735,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/cuban-officials-claim-armed-boat-passengers-tried-to-infiltrate-island\/","url_meta":{"origin":32763,"position":4},"title":"Cuban Officials Claim Armed Boat Passengers Tried to Infiltrate Island","author":"Admin","date":"February 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Cuban authorities report that 10 people aboard a speedboat that fired on Cuban soldiers were armed Cuban nationals residing in the United States attempting to enter the island illegally. 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