The Dominican government has formally requested the withdrawal of nine members of Cuba's diplomatic mission and their families from Santo Domingo, setting off the most delicate diplomatic crisis between the two Caribbean nations since Cuban Ambassador Ángel Custodio Arzuaga Reyes presented his credentials.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic submitted the official request on August 13, 2026, granting the Cuban diplomatic staff a deadline of seven days to depart the country.
Dominican diplomatic authorities stated that the government acted in accordance with international law and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, an international treaty that governs diplomatic immunity and mission operations. However, the Foreign Ministry announced that it would not offer additional public explanations and would manage the case with due discretion.
As of Saturday, August 15, 2026, Dominican officials had not publicly identified the nine diplomats affected by the measure. Authorities also had not informed the public whether Ambassador Arzuaga Reyes is included among those requested to leave, as unverified rumors regarding potential reasons for the demand continued to spread across Santo Domingo.
Diplomatic Demands and Discrepancies
The Cuban government rejected the Dominican Republic's removal request, maintaining that its diplomatic officials acted legally and in full compliance with the Vienna Convention and Dominican domestic laws.
A direct discrepancy has emerged between the official statements issued by the two capitals. While Dominican foreign policy officials reported asking for the departure of nine mission members, the Cuban Foreign Ministry in Havana stated that the decision affects 10 officials.
Authorities in Havana attributed the expulsion order to political pressure from the United States government. Cuban officials accused the Dominican Republic of aligning its foreign policy with Washington's stance toward Cuba, though Havana did not publicly provide evidence to back the accusation.
The Cuban government stated that the removal order sensibly harms bilateral relations between the two administrations. However, officials in Havana stressed that the incident will not damage the historic ties, friendship, and solidarity between the Cuban and Dominican peoples.
Reactions from Cuban Officials
Ambassador Arzuaga Reyes avoided directly addressing the specific causes behind the departure request during a recent public appearance in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.
Speaking during an event commemorating the birth anniversary of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, the oldest public university system in the country, Arzuaga Reyes focused his speech on maintaining fraternal relations.
The ambassador stated during his address at the university that Cuba would maintain its principles and preserve its relationship with the Dominican people. He expressed that the two nations will always remain together and that Cuba will never cause harm to the Dominican public, pointing to the historical principles taught by Cuban independence leader José Martí and Fidel Castro.
Arzuaga Reyes expressed multiple thanks to the brotherly Dominican public during his speech. He declared that Cuba will not surrender and defended the continuous relationship between both countries.
In Santo Domingo, the Cuban Association in the Dominican Republic publicly expressed its support for the Dominican government's decision to request the withdrawal of the nine diplomats.
With Dominican authorities withholding the specific names and precise reasons behind the removal request, commentators note that any personal link between Ambassador Arzuaga Reyes and alleged intelligence activities remains speculative.
Political Career in Cuba
Ambassador Arzuaga Reyes assumed his diplomatic posting in Santo Domingo after presenting his credentials to Dominican President Luis Abinader on November 28, 2023.
According to an official biographical profile released by the Presidency of the Dominican Republic, Arzuaga Reyes graduated in 1981 with a degree in History and Social Sciences from the Enrique José Varona Higher Pedagogical Institute in Havana. In 1995, he completed specialized studies at the Raúl Roa García Higher Institute of International Relations, Cuba's primary training institute for foreign service officers.
Before being posted to Santo Domingo, Arzuaga Reyes served in the Cuban foreign service as ambassador to Ethiopia. During that assignment, he served concurrently as Cuba's ambassador to Djibouti, a neighboring country in the Horn of Africa.
Diplomatic Experience and Precedents
In addition to his foreign service postings, Arzuaga Reyes developed a substantial portion of his professional career within the political and ideological structure of the Cuban government and the Communist Party of Cuba, the ruling political party in the island nation.
Reports published by Granma, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Cuba, show that in 2014, Arzuaga Reyes served as deputy head of the party's Ideological Department within its Central Committee. In that role, he participated in political, social, and public opinion studies and led a conference organized by the party leadership.
Arzuaga Reyes later moved to the Central Committee's Department of International Relations. In February 2022, Granma identified him as deputy head of that department during a high-level meeting between Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and representatives of the Communist Party of Spain.
During that February 2022 meeting in Havana, Arzuaga Reyes participated alongside Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla and other senior government officials, demonstrating his long-standing background in both international relations and party ideology prior to taking leadership of the embassy in Santo Domingo.
