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Ecuador expels Cuba envoy, rest of mission / Photo: Rodrigo BUENDIA - AFP
Ecuador expels Cuba envoy, rest of mission
Ecuador on Wednesday ordered the expulsion of Cuba's ambassador to Quito, giving him and the rest of his embassy staff 48 hours to leave the country, the foreign ministry announced.
It declared Basilio Gutierrez persona non grata but did not offer a specific reason for the decision.
In its statement, the ministry gave "48 hours... for the ambassador and all those working in this diplomatic mission to leave our national territory."
Cuba fired back, calling the dismissal an "unfriendly and unprecedented act that seriously damages the history of friendly and cooperative ties between the two countries," Havana's foreign ministry said.
"It does not seem accidental that this decision was made in a context marked by a strengthening of US aggression against Cuba, and by strong pressure applied by that government on third countries to join this policy," it added.
Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa is a close ally of US President Donald Trump, whose government has imposed a de facto energy blockade on Communist-ruled Cuba.
On Tuesday, Quito ended the stint of its own ambassador in Havana.
Bouchard--SMC
