Ecuador has been formally invited to participate in OPEC's heads of state summit on Nov. 17-18 in Riyadh. It would become OPEC's smallest producer with output of around 500,000 barrels per day. The country left OPEC in 1992.
Maybe they could afford a base after all, but just a small rented one.
I saw this and thought to add it into the thread. I see the ties to Venezuela and maybe down the road ties to Bolivia's. I remember reading a ways back that Chavez was funding 20 new army garrisons/bases in Bolivia. Haven't heard anything on it in a long time but there's big time natural gas in Bolivia so Chavez can't be far away.