 The embassy of the protected state is staffed by its own diplomatic personnel, but it is formally termed an "interests section" of the protecting power.Between 1991 and 2015, the Cuban Interests Section was staffed by Cubans and occupied the old Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C., but it was formally a section of the Swiss Embassy to the United States.When relations are exceptionally tense, however, such as during a war, the "interests section" is instead staffed by diplomats from the protecting power.