It’s surprising how much of the international community has remained silent about recent political imprisonments in Venezuela. No commitment to democracy is meaningful if political imprisonment is tolerated anywhere. In the case of Costa Rica, the silence is shameful.
Paving the way for a possible visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to Costa Rica later this year, Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel González met last Thursday with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State John Kerry, for the first time since the May 2014 inauguration of President Luis Guillermo Solís.
Cabinet members said that a new policy would better focus Costa Rica’s resources toward “south-south” cooperation between developing nations, with a focus on environment, social development, transparency and other priorities laid out in the National Development Plan and foreign policy.
This, along with the advancement of science, technology and innovation, as well as the strengthening of education at all levels throughout the region, are issues that CELAC should prioritize over the next five to 10 years, according to the South American official. Costa Rica hosts CELAC'S third summit meeting from Jan. 28-29.
Solís said he wanted to see the Costa Rican and Chinese economy more closely linked, listing special economic zones, infrastructure investment, technology sharing, and greater educational and cultural exchanges as some of his goals for the future of the relationship.
Along with the principles of freedom and democracy, the force of reason has prevailed throughout Costa Rican history. The abolition of the military is one of those exceptional steps that led Costa Rica to become a fairer, more educated society able to meet the most pressing needs of its population, focusing on human development rather than strengthening its military capabilities.
