The Foreign Minister of Costa Rica, Arnoldo André, appointed by President Rodrigo Chaves – who will assume power on May 8 in the Legislative Assembly of that country – opened this Friday the possibility that the new government reestablish diplomatic relations with the administration of President Nicolás Ripe.
“Venezuela is under study. Circumstances have been changing. The constitutional period of Mr. [Juan] Guaidó has already won, and the world dynamic is moving to adjust to the realities of politics. So, you have to assess which is the position that best suits the interests of Costa Rica”, André said.
Relations were broken in 2018 when Costa Rica decided to ignore the elections in which the Venezuelan leader was re-elected for five more years.
Approach to Nicaragua
Similarly, the future diplomat revealed that the new government he will represent has held the first rapprochements with the administration of the Sandinista Daniel Ortega, in Managua, putting an end to the cold relations that have marked the presidency of Carlos Alvarado.
Were there rapprochements with Nicaragua and Costa Rica?, the reporters asked André.
“It is a sign of goodwill that we have met [con Managua] to discuss bilateral issues and communication has been fluid and adequate”, said André, who recalled that Costa Rica has an embassy in the neighboring country and that there is a charge d’affaires. “What there isn’t yet is an ambassador,” he added.
Chaves, a 60-year-old economist who prevailed in a second round in the Costa Rican elections on April 3 by defeating his rival José María Figueres, he has caused surprise by his statements regarding Nicaragua.
The president-elect said he would send a diplomat to Managua because he argued that he would seek the “interest of Costa Ricans” and that meant peaceful relations “with all the nations of the world.”
This week, various Nicaraguan media published information stating that Daniel Ortega had been excluded from Chavez’s inauguration, however, neither the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry nor the new president’s press team confirmed the information in response to inquiries from the VOA.
* Armando Gómez, VOA journalist, contributed to this report.
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