President Luis Guillermo Solís on Wednesday joined a lunch in Mexico City with a group of entrepreneurs to discuss investment options in Costa Rica.
The meeting included top potential investors in advanced manufacturing, the food industry, corporate services and life sciences who were presented with investment projects in areas outside of Costa Rica’s Central Valley. Foreign trade officials, diplomats and private-sector representatives from both countries also attended the meeting.
ProMéxico Director General Francisco González Díaz said Mexico and Costa Rica have one of the most substantial trade relations in Latin America.
“[Costa Rica] is our No. 1 partner in Central America. It is a country with highly qualified and experienced workers in advanced manufacturing. From 2000 to 2013, Mexico has invested over $1 billion in the nation,” González added.
Solís said the trip served to strengthen trade, investment and friendship with Mexico.
“Between 2004 and the first half of 2014, our country received $965 million in foreign direct investment from Mexico,” Solís said. “Currently our country is home to very important Mexican companies, and we hope this visit will further enhance the relationships with these companies and with new ones. We are here to offer them a number of very competitive conditions for their investments.”
On Tuesday, Foreign Trade Minister Alexander Mora and Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency Director Jorge Sequeira held six bilateral meetings with other groups of Mexican entrepreneurs in the services, aerospace, telecommunications and energy sectors.
Mexico is the third most important investor in Costa Rica, currently generating over 20,000 direct jobs. FDI from that country in 2013 totaled $147 million, representing 10 percent of total investment from North America, according to Foreign Trade Ministry data.
Solís and his officials arrived in Veracruz on Monday to participate in the two-day XXIV Iberoamerican Summit, which gathered leaders and officials from 22 Latin American countries and Spain. Summit attendants held several meetings to discuss issues including education, science, technology, culture and politics. The Costa Rican group returned on Wednesday evening.
Related: Costa Rica’s president criticizes growing military spending in Latin America
