Teran, originally from the Andean province of Imbabura, questioned, in statements to Prensa Latina, the official stance, stating that “what the president says in Ecuador does not represent the Ecuadorian people.”
Despite the Ecuadorian government’s decision to expel the Cuban diplomatic mission from Quito, the activist highlighted the historical ties between the two countries and Cuba’s support in the education of young Ecuadorians.
The indigenous leader stressed, “Many of my brothers and sisters from the Kichwa, Amazonian, and other indigenous nationalities and communities achieved academic training thanks to Cuba, which, despite its economic situation, allowed our people to study, and they are currently working in the country.”
Teran, who was a vice-presidential candidate for the Unidad Popular (Popular Unity-UP) party, attended the recent Assembly of the Coordinating Committee for Friendship and Solidarity with Cuba, held in Cotacachi, where she reiterated her message of support for the Caribbean nation. Ecuador declared, in early March, the Cuban diplomatic staff persona non grata; thereby, bilateral relations were severed.
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