Foreign relations of Ecuador

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Sidebar with collapsible listsThis article describes the diplomatic affairs, foreign policy and international relations of Ecuador Ecuador is a founding member of the UN and a member of many of its specialized agencies; it is also a member of the Organization of American States (OAS), as well as many regional groups, including the Rio Group, the Latin American Economic System, the Latin American Energy Organization, the Latin American Integration Association, and the Andean Pact.

Ecuador's principal foreign-policy objectives have traditionally included defense of its territory from both external aggression and internal subversion as well as support for the objectives of the UN and the OAS. Although Ecuador's foreign relations were traditionally centered on the United States, Ecuador's membership in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in the 1970s and 1980s allowed Ecuadorian leaders to exercise somewhat greater foreign policy autonomy. Ecuador's foreign policy goals under the Borja government in the late 1980s were more diversified than those of the Febres Cordero administration, which closely identified with the United States. For example, Ecuador was more active in its relations with the Third World, multilateral organizations, Western Europe, and socialist countries.

Ecuador has offered humanitarianian aid to many countries, is a supporter of the United Nations, and currently contributes troops to the UN mission in Haiti. Ecuador has also been an elective member of the UN Security Council.

In Antarctica, Ecuador has maintained a peaceful research station for scientific study in the British-claimed territory and is a member nation of the Antarctica Treaty.

Domestic politics

The presidency of Rafael Correa in the early 21st century saw a radical change in the country's foreign policy. Traditional ties with the United States grew more acrimonious and there were increased ties with the governments of Russia and Iran. The relations with the United States, however, improved significantly during the presidency of his successor Lenin Moreno since 2017.

List

List of countries which Ecuador maintains diplomatic relations with:

File:Diplomatic relations of Ecuador.svg
#	Country	Date
1	Peru	Template:Dts
2	Colombia	Template:Dts
3	Chile	Template:Dts
4	Venezuela	Template:Dts
—	Nicaragua (suspended)	Template:Dts
—	Mexico (suspended)	Template:Dts
5	Spain	Template:Dts
6	Bolivia	Template:Dts
7	Brazil	Template:Dts
8	France	Template:Dts
9	United States	Template:Dts
10	United Kingdom	Template:Dts
11	Netherlands	Template:Dts
—	Holy See	Template:Dts
12	Belgium	Template:Dts
13	Paraguay	Template:Dts
14	Costa Rica	Template:Dts
15	Guatemala	Template:Dts
16	Uruguay	Template:Dts
17	Switzerland	Template:Dts
18	El Salvador	Template:Dts
19	Honduras	Template:Dts
20	Italy	Template:Dts
21	Argentina	Template:Dts
22	Cuba	Template:Dts
23	Panama	Template:Dts
24	Japan	Template:Dts
25	Sweden	Template:Dts
26	Czech Republic	Template:Dts
27	Poland	Template:Dts
28	Norway	Template:Dts
29	Dominican Republic	Template:Dts
30	Russia	Template:Dts
31	Austria	Template:Dts
32	Portugal	Template:Dts
33	Lebanon	Template:Dts
34	Haiti	Template:Dts
35	Turkey	Template:Dts
36	Germany	Template:Dts
—	Sovereign Military Order of Malta	Template:DTS
37	Denmark	Template:Dts
38	Serbia	Template:Dts
39	Luxembourg	Template:Dts
40	Israel	Template:Dts
41	Egypt	Template:Dts
42	Canada	Template:Dts
43	South Korea	Template:Dts
44	Finland	Template:Dts
45	Morocco	Template:Dts
46	Greece	Template:Dts
47	Trinidad and Tobago	Template:Dts
48	Romania	Template:Dts
49	India	Template:Dts
50	Hungary	Template:Dts
51	Bulgaria	Template:Dts
52	Algeria	Template:Dts
53	Iran	Template:Dts
54	Jamaica	Template:Dts
55	Iraq	Template:Dts
56	Guyana	Template:Dts
57	Australia	Template:Dts
58	United Arab Emirates	Template:Dts
59	Qatar	Template:Dts
60	Kuwait	Template:Dts
61	Philippines	Template:Dts
62	Bahamas	Template:Dts
63	Suriname	Template:Dts
64	Barbados	Template:Dts
65	Libya	Template:Dts
66	New Zealand	Template:Dts
67	Ghana	Template:Dts
68	Grenada	Template:Dts
69	Pakistan	Template:Dts
70	Kenya	Template:Dts
71	Nigeria	Template:Dts
72	Cyprus	Template:Dts
73	Jordan	Template:Dts
74	Malta	Template:Dts
75	Saint Lucia	Template:Dts
76	Vietnam	Template:Dts
77	China	Template:Dts
78	Thailand	Template:Dts
79	Tunisia	Template:Dts
80	Albania	Template:Dts
81	Togo	Template:Dts
82	Republic of the Congo	Template:Dts
83	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Template:Dts
84	Liberia	Template:Dts
85	Indonesia	Template:Dts
86	Senegal	Template:Dts
87	Equatorial Guinea	Template:Dts
88	Gabon	Template:Dts
89	Oman	Template:Dts
90	Mongolia	Template:Dts
91	Bangladesh	Template:Dts
—	Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (suspended)	Template:Dts
92	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Template:Dts
93	Namibia	Template:Dts
94	Afghanistan	Template:Dts
95	Seychelles	Template:Dts
96	Lithuania	Template:Dts
97	Latvia	Template:Dts
98	Estonia	Template:Dts
99	Slovakia	Template:Dts
100	Ukraine	Template:Dts
101	Belarus	Template:Dts
102	Cambodia	Template:Dts
103	Malaysia	Template:Dts
104	South Africa	Template:Dts
105	Singapore	Template:Dts
106	Croatia	Template:Dts
107	Andorra	Template:Dts
108	Mozambique	Template:Dts
109	Guinea-Bissau	Template:Dts
110	Slovenia	Template:Dts
111	Armenia	Template:Dts
112	Turkmenistan	Template:Dts
113	Angola	Template:Dts
114	Liechtenstein	Template:Dts
115	Syria	Template:Dts
116	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Template:Dts
117	Template:Country data Georgia	Template:Dts
118	Belize	Template:Dts
119	Ireland	Template:Dts
120	Template:Country data North Macedonia	Template:Dts
121	Bahrain	Template:Dts
122	Brunei	Template:Dts
123	Monaco	Template:Dts
124	Mauritius	Template:Dts
125	Iceland	Template:Dts
126	Azerbaijan	Template:Dts
127	Nepal	Template:Dts
128	Botswana	Template:Dts
129	San Marino	Template:Dts
—	Template:Country data State of Palestine	Template:Dts
130	Saudi Arabia	Template:Dts
131	Antigua and Barbuda	Template:Dts
132	Dominica	Template:Dts
133	Montenegro	Template:Dts
134	Cape Verde	Template:Dts
135	Maldives	Template:Dts
136	Sri Lanka	Template:Dts
137	Uzbekistan	Template:Dts
138	Timor-Leste	Template:Dts
139	Laos	Template:Dts
140	Tuvalu	Template:Dts
141	Moldova	Template:Dts
142	Gambia	Template:Dts
143	Samoa	Template:Dts
144	Solomon Islands	Template:Dts
145	Kazakhstan	Template:Dts
146	Ethiopia	Template:Dts
147	Burkina Faso	Template:Dts
148	Fiji	Template:Dts
149	Eritrea	Template:Dts
150	Zambia	Template:Dts
151	Mauritania	Template:Dts
152	Zimbabwe	Template:Dts
153	Sierra Leone	Template:Dts
154	Central African Republic	Template:Dts
155	Burundi	Template:Dts
156	Sudan	Template:Dts
157	Mali	Template:Dts
158	South Sudan	Template:Dts
159	Ivory Coast	Template:Dts
160	Tanzania	Template:Dts
161	Comoros	Template:Dts
162	Djibouti	Template:Dts
163	Tajikistan	Template:Dts
164	Kyrgyzstan	Template:Dts
165	Myanmar	Template:Dts
166	Vanuatu	Template:Dts
167	Marshall Islands	Template:Dts
168	Benin	Template:Dts
169	Rwanda	Template:Dts
170	Palau	Template:Dts
—	Cook Islands	Template:Dts
171	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Unknown

Bilateral relations

Country	Formal Relations	Notes
Template:Flagicon Belgium		Belgium is accredited to Ecuador from its embassy in Lima, Peru. Ecuador has an embassy in Brussels.
Belize	October 14, 1999	Both countries established diplomatic relations on October 14, 1999. Both countries are full members of the Organization of American States.
Chile	April 26, 1835	See Chile–Ecuador relations. Chile has an embassy in Quito. Ecuador has an embassy in Santiago.
Template:Flagicon Czech Republic		Czech Republic is accredited to Ecuador from its embassy in Lima, Peru, and hold consulates in Quito and Guayaquil. Ecuador has an embassy in Prague.
China	February 1, 1980	See China–Ecuador relations Formal relations started on 1980-01-02 and seven months later China set up its embassy in Ecuador. In July 1981, Ecuador set up its embassy in China. Sino-Ecuadorian relations have been advancing smoothly. The two sides maintain high-level political contacts and exchanges in trade, economic progress, science, technology, culture and education. In international affairs, the two countries understand and support each other. In September 2012, the two nations signed a Commercial and Security Agreement to allow Ecuador to sell easily seafood, cocoa and bananas in China, with the Chinese agreeing to ease tariffs on further food items. In the same period China established an $80 million line of credit for Ecuador with the EximBank to help Ecuador build a road to the re-sited Quito airport.
Colombia		See Colombia–Ecuador relations Ecuador's President Rafael Correa withdrew his government's ambassador in Bogotá, Colombia, and ordered troops to the country's border following a Colombian raid against leftist rebels inside Ecuador March 2, 2008. The Colombian director of national police claimed three captured computers from the deceased FARC rebel leader Raúl Reyes document "tremendously revealing" and "very grave" links between Ecuador and Colombian rebels.March 2, 2008. However, Colombia's actions were condemned across the board by all South American nations, with only the US supporting Colombia. For example, Brazil's foreign minister, Celso Amorim, condemned the Colombian incursion into Ecuador. Furthermore, he suggested that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez recently gave the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia $300 million. Ecuador's president Rafael Correa said March 3, 2008, that a deal to release political prisoners—including former Colombian Sen. Ingrid Betancourt—was nearly complete before the March 1, 2008, Colombian raid into his country. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez on March 5, 2008, called the announced movement of Colombian forces in Ecuador a "war crime," and joined Ecuador's president Rafael Correa in demanding international condemnation of the cross-border attack.[1] The presidents of Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador March 7, 2008, signed a declaration to end a crisis sparked when Colombian troops killed a rebel leader and 21 others inside Ecuadoran territory (2008 Andean diplomatic crisis). In January 2021, Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno and Colombian President Ivan Duque made a joint statement on the good relations of the two countries.
Template:Flagicon Finland		Finland is accredited to Ecuador from its embassy in Lima, Peru. Ecuador has an embassy in Helsinki.
France		Ecuador has an embassy in Paris. France has an embassy in Quito.
		See Ecuador–Germany relations Ecuador has an embassy in Berlin and a consulate in Hamburg. Germany has an embassy in Quito.
Template:Flagicon Greece		Greece is accredited to Ecuador from its embassy in Lima, Peru. Ecuador holds a consulate in Athens.
Guyana	July 2, 1974	Both countries established diplomatic relations on July 2, 1974. Both countries are full members of the Organization of American States.
India		See Ecuador–India relations On November 16, 2008, the Foreign Minister of Ecuador Maria Isabel Salvador met her counterpart, Pranab Mukherjee, with a close relationship in oil and defence between these geographically distant countries high on the agenda. On the oil front, the new government in Ecuador has reversed the earlier revenue-sharing arrangements with western oil companies and is now keen on striking new partnerships with state-owned ONGC Videsh of India. In the defence sector, Ecuador became the first country to sign a contract for purchasing the Indian-made Dhruv helicopters, of which one will be for use by its president. The embassy has expanded its setup with the appointment of a Military Attache and prospects appear bright for more defence exports as Ecuador has agreed to be the servicing hub in South America for Indian defence equipment.
Iran	1973	See Ecuador–Iran relations Ecuador has maintained trade relations with Iran. In December 2008, Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili visited Ecuador. Alongside president Rafael Correa he called for greater "South–South" co-operation, a term denoting greater exchange of resources, technology, and knowledge between the global South. Iranian president Ahmadinejad also attended the inauguration of President Correa in January 2007.
Italy		Ecuador has an embassy in Rome and a consulates-general in Genoa and Milan. Italy has an embassy in Quito.
Japan	August 26, 1918	See Ecuador–Japan relations Ecuador has an embassy in Tokyo. Japan has an embassy in Quito.
Malaysia		See Ecuador–Malaysia relations Relations with Malaysia covers on political, commercial, cultural and social activities. Both countries are the members of Non-Aligned Movement. Ecuador trade value with Malaysia are worth about US$15 million.
Mexico	1837 Diplomatic Relations Severed in 5 April 2024	See Ecuador–Mexico relations In April 2024, Mexico severed diplomatic relations with Ecuador due to the raid on the Mexican embassy in Ecuador.
Template:Flagicon Netherlands		The Netherlands are accredited to Ecuador from its embassy in Lima, Peru. Ecuador has an embassy in The Hague, a consulate in Rotterdam, and a vice consulate in Amsterdam.
Template:Country data Palestine	2010	Ecuador recognized the State of Palestine in 2010.
Paraguay		Ecuador has an embassy in Asunción. Paraguay has an embassy in Quito.
Peru		See Ecuador–Peru relations The Paquisha War was a brief military clash that took place between January and February 1981 between Ecuador and Peru over the control of three watchposts. Since the 1990s, Ecuadoran foreign policy has been focused on the country's border dispute with Peru, an issue that has festered since independence. The boundary dispute led to the Cenepa War between Ecuador and Peru in early 1995; after a peace agreement brokered by the four Guarantors of the Rio Protocol (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and the United States), the Military Observers Mission to Ecuador-Peru (MOMEP) was set up to monitor the zone. In 1998, Presidents Jamil Mahuad of Ecuador and Alberto Fujimori of Peru signed a comprehensive settlement over control of the disputed zone.
Poland		Ecuador is accredited to Poland from its embassy in Vienna, Austria. Poland is accredited to Ecuador from its embassy in Lima, Peru.
Template:Flagicon Romania		Romania is accredited to Ecuador from Lima, Peru, and has consulates in Quito and Guayaquil.
Russia		See Ecuador–Russia relations Ecuador has an embassy in Moscow. Russia has an embassy in Quito.
Template:Flagicon Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic	1983 Diplomatic Relations Suspended in 23 October 2024	Template:See Ecuador has a non-resident embassy in New York. The SADR has an embassy in Quito.
Template:Flagicon South Africa		Ecuador has an embassy in Pretoria. South Africa is accredited to Ecuador from its embassy in Lima, Peru.
Spain	1840	See Ecuador–Spain relations Ecuador has an embassy in Madrid and consulates-general in Alicante, Barcelona, Málaga, Murcia, Palma and Valencia. Spain has an embassy in Quito and a consulate-general in Guayaquil.
Sweden		Ecuador has an embassy in Stockholm. Sweden has a consulate in Quito.
Template:Flagicon Thailand		Thailand is accredited to Ecuador from its embassy in Lima, Peru, and holds a consulate general in Quito. Ecuador has an consulate in Bangkok.
Turkey	1950	See Ecuador–Turkey relations Ecuador has an embassy in Ankara and a consulate in Istanbul. Turkey has an embassy in Quito and a consulate in Guayaquil. Trade volume between the two countries was US$117 million in 2019 (Ecuadorian exports/imports: 58/59 million USD.
Template:Flagicon United Arab Emirates		The United Arab Emirates is accredited to Ecuador from its embassy in Lima, Peru. Ecuador has an embassy in Abu Dhabi.
United Kingdom	1853	See Ecuador–United Kingdom relations File:Ministro británico de Estado, Jeremy Browne, se reúne con Canciller encargado, Kintto Lucas de Ecuador (5974326129).jpg Acting Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Kintto Lucas with British Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne in Quito, July 2011. Ecuador established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 29 January 1853. Ecuador maintains an embassy in London. The United Kingdom is accredited to Ecuador through its embassy in Quito. Both countries share common membership of the International Criminal Court, the United Nations, and the World Trade Organization, as well as the Andean Countries–UK Trade Agreement. Bilaterally the two countries have a Double Taxation Agreement. Relations between the United Kingdom and Ecuador were traditionally regarded as "low-key but cordial", especially before the election of Rafael Correa; the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visited the country in 2009, as part of a tour celebrating the bicentenary of Charles Darwin. President Correa visited London in the same year, speaking mostly in English at the London School of Economics about the changes his government was making. In 2012, relations became strained when Julian Assange, founder of the WikiLeaks website, entered the Ecuadorian embassy in London and sought asylum. Assange had lost legal appeals against his extradition to Sweden where he was wanted for questioning about alleged sexual assault and rape, but while within the embassy he was on diplomatic territory and beyond the reach of the British police. The United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office delivered a note to the Ecuadorian government in Quito reminding them of the provisions of the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987 which allow the British government to withdraw recognition of diplomatic protection from embassies; the move was interpreted as a hostile act by Ecuador, with Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño stating that this "explicit threat" would be met with "appropriate responses in accordance with international law". Assange was granted diplomatic asylum on August 16, 2012, with Foreign Minister Patiño stating that Assange's fears of political persecution were "legitimate". Finally, President Lenín Moreno revoked Assange's asylum in April 2019. In reaction, the British Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, thanked Moreno for his cooperation to "ensure Assange faces justice".
United States		See Ecuador–United States relations The United States and Ecuador used to maintain close ties based on mutual interests in maintaining democratic institutions; combating cannabis and cocaine; building trade, investment, and financial ties; cooperating in fostering Ecuador's economic development; and participating in inter-American organizations. Ties were further strengthened by the presence of an estimated 150,000–200,000 Ecuadorians living in the United States and by 24,000 U.S. citizens visiting Ecuador annually, and by approximately 15,000 U.S. citizens residing in Ecuador. The United States assisted Ecuador's economic development directly through the Agency for International Development (USAID) program in Ecuador and through multilateral organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank. In addition, the U.S. Peace Corps operates a sizable program in Ecuador. More than 100 U.S. companies are doing business in Ecuador. The relations deteriorated greatly during the presidency of Rafael Correa since 2007 until 2017. The relations, however, improved significantly during the presidency of Lenin Moreno since 2017. In February 2020, his visit to Washington was the first meeting between an Ecuadorian and U.S. president in 17 years. Ecuador has an embassy in Washington, D.C., and several consulates throughout the country. United States has an embassy in Quito and a consulate in Guayaquil.
Uruguay		See Ecuador–Uruguay relations Ecuador has an embassy in Montevideo. Uruguay has an embassy in Quito.
Venezuela		See Ecuador–Venezuela relations Diplomatic ties trace back to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. With the independence both countries united under the Gran Colombia along with New Granada (then Colombia and Panama). After the dissolution of the Gran Colombia, Ecuador named Don Pedro Gual as plenipotentiary minister with the main task of resolving the debt acquired while part of the Gran Colombia union as well as to establish diplomatic relations with the New Granada and Venezuela. On August 4, 1852, Venezuela sent a diplomatic delegation in Quito and named José Julián Ponce as finance administrator. The relations remained cordial and entered into a second period between 1910 and 1963 with two diplomatic incidents occurring in 1928 and 1955. Ecuador and Venezuela strengthened ties in politics, diplomacy and military. During the presidency of Lenin Moreno since 2017, Ecuador broke diplomatic relations with Venezuela. Ecuador did not any more recognize the regime of Nicholas Maduro. Instead, Ecuador recognized and supported opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Interim President of Venezuela.

See also

• List of diplomatic missions in Ecuador
• List of diplomatic missions of Ecuador