Colombia seeks diplomatic and commercial relations with all countries, regardless of their ideologies or political or economic systems. For this reason, the Colombian economy is quite open, relying on international trade and following guidelines given by international law.
Ecuador and the United States maintained 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 are 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 living in Ecuador.
The Organization of American States is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas.
The Fundación Colegio Americano de Quito or Colegio Americano de Quito is a private college preparatory school in Quito, Ecuador. In 1940 it was founded by the former president of Ecuador and the president of the Organization of American States (OAS) Galo Plaza Lasso, and Boaz Long.
Galo Lincoln Plaza Lasso de la Vega was an Ecuadorian statesman who served as President of Ecuador from 1948 to 1952 and Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1968 to 1975. He is the son of former Ecuadorian President Leonidas Plaza.
Larry Leon Palmer was an American former diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean from 2012 to 2015. He was the United States Ambassador to Honduras from 2002 to 2005. He also served as the President of the Inter-American Foundation from 2005 to June 2010.
Thomas Alfred Shannon Jr. is an American diplomat who served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 2016 to 2018. In early 2017, Shannon served as acting United States Secretary of State until President Donald Trump's nominee, Rex Tillerson, was confirmed. He was also acting Deputy Secretary of State of the United States until the Senate confirmed President Trump's nominee, John J. Sullivan.
Adam Blackwell was a Canadian diplomat. He served as the Secretary of Multidimensional Security at the Organization of American States (OAS). He was Ambassador of Canada to the Dominican Republic from 2002 to 2005.
The 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis was a diplomatic stand-off involving the South American countries of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. It began with an incursion into Ecuadorian territory across the Putumayo River by the Colombian military on March 1, 2008, leading to the deaths of over twenty militants, including Raúl Reyes and sixteen other members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). This incursion led to increased tension between Colombia and Ecuador and the movement of Venezuelan and Ecuadorian troops to their borders with Colombia.
Paul E. Simons is a career diplomat who served as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Chile from 2007 to 2010.
The 2010 Ecuadorian crisis took place on 30 September 2010, when National Police operatives blockaded highways, occupied the National Assembly, blocked Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito and José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil, and took control of the premises of Ecuador TV, in what they claimed was a strike to oppose a government-sponsored law that supposedly reduced their benefits. Unrest and looting were reported in seven provinces of the country because of the lack of law enforcement.
Guillermo John Roque Fernández de Soto Valderrama is a Colombian lawyer and diplomat, who has served as Secretary General of the Andean Community of Nations, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Ambassador of Colombia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and designated-Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotenciary, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations in New York.
Ricardo Armando Patiño Aroca is an Ecuadorian politician who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador from 2010 until 2016, under the government of President Rafael Correa. Previously he was Minister of Finance and Minister of the Coast. He is one of the ideologists of The Citizens' Revolution who with Correa wanted to gradually introduce a democratic socialist government in Ecuador. On 4 March 2016, he was named as Defense Minister by President Correa.
The secretariat for multidimensional security of the Organization of American States is a part of the General Secretariat, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. The Secretariat for Multidimensional Security has a mandate to promote cooperation between Organization's Member States, Inter-American and international organizations, as well as with entities such as the United Nations and its subsidiaries, in order to analyze, prevent, confront and respond to security threats.
Corruption in Ecuador is a serious problem. In 2014, the U.S. Department of State cited Ecuador's corruption as a key human-rights problem. According to Freedom House, "Ecuador has long been racked by corruption", and the weak judicial oversight and investigative resources perpetuate a culture of impunity.
James F. Mack is an American diplomat who was Chargé d'affaires ad interim in Ecuador from January 1992 until November 1993 and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Guyana from September 1997 until April 2000. After he retired from the State Department the OAS, on September 15, 2004, named him Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD).
Mauricio Montalvo Samaniego Ecuadorean lawyer, diplomat and university professor. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, holds a LL.M. from Harvard Law School and was Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva. Currently he is the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the OAS, in Washington DC.
Sonia Roca is the Chancellor and Founder of Universidad Del Pacífico - Ecuador.
María Gabriela Sommerfeld Rosero is the Ecuadorian foreign minister. She led tourism for Quito, and has been the CEO of multiple airlines and a leading hotel.
On 5 April 2024, the Mexican embassy in Quito was raided by Ecuadorian police and military forces. Mexico and numerous other countries decried the raid as a violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1954 Caracas Convention on Diplomatic Asylum.
