Venezuela will respond to the U.S. expulsion of its consul in Miami by closing - at least temporarily - its consulate in the Florida city, President Hugo Chavez said Friday.

“Foreign Minister Nicolas (Maduro) has recommended to close the consulate, well, we’ll close it then,” the socialist leader said while offering his annual state of the union report to Venezuela’s National Assembly.

The announcement comes five days after the U.S. State Department declared Venezuelan Consul General Livia Acosta Noguera persona non grata and ordered her to leave the country within 48 hours.

The department did not provide any details about the reasons for the expulsion.