United Arab Emirates mission evaluates investment options in Costa Rica

Officials from various Costa Rican agencies presented a series of investment projects to members of an official mission from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The mission is part of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, according to a news release from the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry.

Local officials presented projects that focus primarily on public infrastructure and public services. Among these are the construction of a new highway between San José and the Alajuela canton of San Ramón, a plan to build a new high-speed electric train, and a water supply program for the province of Guanacaste.

Foreign Minister Manuel González said that Costa Rica hopes the United Arab Emirates “becomes our main strategic partner in the Middle East.” He also said that he expects the country can become a strategic partner for the UAE in the region.

In addition to meetings in San José this week, the UAE mission will travel to Guanacaste along with officials from the Costa Rica Tourism Board to learn about investment options in tourism projects in the northern Pacific province.

Mission leader Adel Abdulla Al-Hosani thanked Tico officials for the warm welcome and recalled that the visit comes as a result of the meeting between President Luis Guillermo Solís and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in January.

“Certainly, this visit marks the beginning of a new cooperative relationship between the Abu Dhabi Fund and the Government of Costa Rica, which I’m sure will continue to grow in the years to come, and will build a strong bilateral relationship,” he said.

The Abu Dhabi Development Fund currently has cooperation agreements with 83 developing countries. Its main goal is to help developing countries achieve sustainable socioeconomic growth through financial assistance from the UAE government.