Relationship dossier
Cuba
Ecuador
Relationship assessment
Health and disaster-response cooperation gave way to diplomatic friction and reduced cooperation after Ecuador’s 2019 policy shift.
Cuba toward Ecuador
+20Cuba sent medical assistance to Ecuador after the 2016 earthquake and supplied medical personnel under bilateral health cooperation. These actions were followed by a deterioration in relations when Ecuador ended the medical arrangement and expelled Cuban diplomats in 2019.
Ecuador toward Cuba
+10Ecuador cooperated with Cuba on health, including the presence of Cuban medical personnel during Rafael Correa’s presidency. In 2019, Ecuador ended the medical cooperation arrangement and expelled Cuban diplomats, reflecting a marked shift in policy.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship includes concrete health cooperation and Cuban disaster assistance, but the 2019 termination of medical cooperation and expulsion of Cuban diplomats marked a significant setback. Earlier cooperation prevents the bilateral relationship from being characterized solely by confrontation, while the later policy shift limits the extent of sustained partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Cuba and Ecuador developed practical cooperation in health and disaster response, particularly during Rafael Correa’s presidency. Cuban medical personnel worked in Ecuador, and Cuba sent medical assistance after Ecuador’s 2016 earthquake. Relations later cooled: Ecuador ended its medical cooperation arrangement with Cuba and expelled Cuban diplomats in 2019, while Ecuador also withdrew from the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America.
Areas of tension
- Ecuador’s 2019 expulsion of Cuban diplomats.
- Ecuador’s 2019 termination of medical cooperation with Cuba.
Key developments
Cuba sent medical assistance to Ecuador after the earthquake.
Ecuador ended its medical cooperation arrangement with Cuba and expelled Cuban diplomats.
Ecuador withdrew from the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, a regional grouping that includes Cuba.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation outside health and disaster response are unclear.
- The extent of bilateral cooperation after Ecuador’s 2019 policy shift is unclear.