President Laura Fernández fired Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar today after saying he failed to tell her about a high-level security meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, leaving the Costa Rican president out of an event her government considers important to its fight against organized crime.
Tovar’s dismissal took effect immediately, just two days after he represented Costa Rica at the meeting of the Shield of the Americas in New York. The meeting took place alongside the United Nations General Assembly and brought together Trump and representatives from more than a dozen countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The problem, according to Costa Rica’s Presidential Office, was not that Tovar attended. It was that Fernández says she was never properly told about the meeting or given the opportunity to attend herself. The government said Tovar went to the session without first notifying Fernández of his participation. Presidency called the handling of the invitation negligent and said it prevented the president from taking part, causing what the government described as significant strategic damage.
Fernández addressed the issue publicly later during an event in Golfito attended by U.S. Ambassador Melinda Hildebrand. She apologized for missing the meeting and said the U.S. invitation had not been properly passed along to her. “There are errors that cannot be overlooked,” Fernández said while explaining Tovar’s removal.
The timing adds another layer to the dispute as Fernández had previously decided not to attend this year’s United Nations General Assembly, leaving Tovar to represent Costa Rica in New York. While the Trump meeting was taking place Tuesday, Fernández was on a separate trip to Colombia.
The Shield of the Americas is a U.S.-led security group launched earlier this year with a focus on drug trafficking and organized crime. At Tuesday’s meeting, participants discussed narcotics trafficking, illegal mining and other regional security concerns. Trump was joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior U.S. officials.
Costa Rica’s Foreign Ministry itself announced Tovar’s participation after the meeting, saying he had led the Costa Rican delegation and spoken about the security efforts despite Costa Rica having no armed forces.
Tovar responded to his firing without directly challenging Fernández’s version of what happened. He said serving as foreign minister and previously as foreign trade minister had been the greatest honor of his professional life and said he accepted the moment calmly. He also stressed the importance of Costa Rica having a presence during the high-level week at the United Nations, particularly as it backs Rebeca Grynspan for U.N. secretary-general.
Tovar had been foreign minister only since May 8, when Fernández took office. His 139 days in the job made him Costa Rica’s shortest-serving foreign minister since the beginning of the Second Republic in 1948, according to La Nación. Before that, he served four years as foreign trade minister under former President Rodrigo Chaves.
Fernández named Foreign Trade Minister Indiana Trejos Gallo as acting foreign minister. Trejos is expected to take over the Foreign Ministry when she returns from her own assignment at the United Nations General Assembly.
