Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters on Saturday that the “outsized” number of the US military staff on Ecuador’s territory needs to be reduced.

He also warned that Ecuador would not allow US „espionage equipment” in the country.

„It just makes no sense that an outsized number of US military staff, who report to the US Southern Command, would be here, at the US Embassy,“ Patino said.

Patino’s remarks echoed President Rafael Correa’s announcement on Wednesday that he would ask Washington to pull out American military personnel assigned to its embassy in capital city of Quito.

Correa described the number of US personnel in Ecuador as “inconceivable,” saying, „Unfortunately, these people have been so infiltrated in all the sectors that what is scandalous appeared normal.“

Correa’s calls come after revelations concerning the presence of four US military personnel in an Ecuadoran military helicopter that came under fire in October last year near the border with Colombia.

In 2009, Quito refused to renew an agreement with Washington on counter-narcotics operations after accusing it of financing opposition groups.