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The FBI opened a permanent office at the U.S. Embassy in Quito on March 12, assigning a full-time agent to coordinate joint investigations targeting drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, and money laundering. Ecuador simultaneously created a new National Police unit to work alongside the bureau.
In a CNN en Espanol interview on March 20, President Noboa defended Ecuador's commercial relationship with China while reaffirming the country's deepening military and diplomatic alliance with the United States.
Three diplomatic developments in a single week: Ecuador ratified a cooperation treaty with Europol on March 26, expelled the Cuban ambassador without explanation in early March, and hosted U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on March 25-26.
The United States has deployed approximately 75,000 military personnel to Ecuador in a historic first, marking the largest U.S. military operation in South America in decades. The deployment aims to combat narcotrafficking networks operating along Ecuador's coast and border regions.
Ecuador has expelled all Cuban diplomatic personnel after embassy staff were reportedly filmed burning documents in the courtyard of the Cuban Embassy in Quito. The move signals a sharp break in relations between the two countries.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused Ecuador of dropping bombs inside Colombia, claiming 27 charred bodies were found near the border. Ecuador's Noboa flatly denied it. The neighbors are now in their worst diplomatic crisis in years — and it's affecting everything from electricity to trade.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar is visiting Ecuador as part of a broader Latin American diplomatic push, with negotiations beginning on a trade agreement and expanded security cooperation including surveillance technology and agricultural innovation.
President Noboa used the World Government Summit in Dubai to court international investment, pledging $600 million for infrastructure and signing an anti-corruption agreement with the UAE.
A high-level Colombian delegation arrives in Quito today for emergency talks aimed at resolving the reciprocal 30% tariff war that has brought bilateral trade to a near standstill and suspended Colombian electricity exports.
Thirty-percent tariffs, suspended electricity exports, a 900% pipeline fee hike, and border protests — the Ecuador-Colombia trade war is escalating fast. Here's how it could affect your daily life.
