President of Costa Rica wants 'fraternal' relationship with Nicaragua on trade and borders

Costa Rican President Laura Fernández expressed her interest in fostering a "fraternal" relationship with neighboring Nicaragua, emphasizing cooperation in trade and border management. Fernández stated that recent comments she made about Nicaragua were misrepresented and taken out of context to confuse the public.

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I am interested in having a fraternal relationship of trade with Nicaragua, an orderly border, where Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica are regulated.

"I am interested in having a fraternal relationship of trade with Nicaragua, an orderly border, where Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica are regulated," Fernández said during her weekly press conference. She clarified that her previous remarks to international media outlet NTN24, where she stated Nicaraguans have "the form of Government they have chosen to have," were not an endorsement of Daniel Ortega's administration. This statement had drawn criticism from former Costa Rican presidents and human rights organizations.

Fernández asserted that her intention was not to criticize a neighboring country with which Costa Rica shares significant trade routes. "I barely have enough time to fix Costa Rica's problems, let alone get involved in others' problems," she explained, dismissing the idea that she was commenting on Nicaragua's internal affairs.

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I barely have enough time to fix Costa Rica's problems, let alone get involved in others' problems.

The president also commented on her relationships with other regional leaders, including those from El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Chile, and the United States. However, she stressed that she is not an admirer of any specific government or leader, stating, "I am a pro-democracy person, a person who loves freedom, justice, and above all human dignity." She reiterated that Costa Rica does not maintain diplomatic relations or an embassy with Nicaragua, with bilateral ties limited to consular levels since 2018.

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I am a pro-democracy person, a person who loves freedom, justice, and above all human dignity. I am not an admirer of any government, of any regime of right, left or center; I am not an admirer of any president.