Venezuela Expels Ecuador Envoy in Retaliatory Move

TEHRAN (defapress)- Venezuela has ordered the expulsion of Ecuador’s top diplomat in Caracas in a retaliatory move after Quito expelled Venezuelan ambassador amid a war of words over the number of Venezuelan refugees pouring into Ecuador.

News ID: 73162

Date: 19 October 2018 - 19:10

Venezuela said in a statement that it was "forced to take reciprocal action against the Charge d'Affaires of Ecuador in the Latin American country, Elizabeth Mendez, who is declared a persona non-grata and has 72 hours to leave the country", press tv reported.

Ecuador's ambassador position in Caracas has been vacant for more than a year because of diplomatic disputes.

Equator took a similar move on Wednesday after Venezuelan Communication Minister Jorge Rodriguez said accused Ecuador’s President Lenín Moreno of “lying” about the number of Venezuelan economic refugees, moving over into Ecuador.

Venezuelan Ambassador Carol Josefina Delgado was given 72 hours to leave the country.

Moreno said during his speech at the UN General Assembly last month that his country has received more than 6,000 Venezuelans a day and that “children are arriving with measles, diphtheria and polio.”

In a reaction to the remarks, Rodriguez said he “couldn’t believe that someone could be such a liar, even at the podium of the United Nations.”

He said it would take “140 busloads per day for seven years” to reach the number of Venezuelan migrants that Ecuador claims to have.

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