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On
April 29, Foreign
Affairs Minister,
Manuel E. Ventura
Robles met the
Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Cuba, Bruno
Rodriguez Parrilla. On
April 25, Minister
Ventura met with
U.S. Secretary,
Mike Pompeo.
/ Ministry
of Foreign Affairs
courtesy photos.
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Ministry
of Education clarifies
controversial
agreement signed with
Cuba
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By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
The Ministry of Public
Education and the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs signed an
agreement with Cuba called the
Memorandum of Understanding on
Cooperation in the Field of
Education.
The ministry has moved to
address doubts about the
agreement by making the
following clarifications:
- Teachers from Cuba will not
be brought to teach classes to
students.
- No change of contents or
study programs of schools,
colleges, and universities has
been part of the agreement. In
Costa Rica, the content of
study programs is determined
exclusively by the Higher
Council of Education that
belongs to the Ministry of
Education.
- None of the multiple
agreements between Costa Rica
and other countries with which
it maintains diplomatic
relations, implies
intromission or influence in
educational content.
Regarding the agreement with
Cuba, the Ministry clarifies
that the information on
possible direct contact
between the ministries of
Education of Cuba and Costa
Rica is false.
"The signing of this document
responds to the Framework
Cooperation Agreement between
the Governments of Costa Rica
and Cuba, that was signed on
January 10, 2013, during the
Government of former President
Laura Chinchilla Miranda, and
unanimously approved by the
Legislative Assembly," said
the Ministry in its statement.
According to the Ministry,
Costa Rica has signed similar
agreements with Germany in
March 2019, South Korea in
2018, the United States in
April 2018, China in 2018,
Andorra in October 2016 and
France in June 2015.
"There are also multiple
international agreements,
signed through the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, for
recognition of degrees,
scholarships, and exchanges,
among others," said the
Ministry in its statement.
The agreement signed with Cuba
is part of a bilateral
relationship that has been
developing since 1999, with
the resumption of consular
relations made during the
government of former President
Miguel Angel Rodríguez
Echeverría, and which was
consolidated in 2009 with the
restoration of diplomatic
relations during the
government of former President
Oscar Arias Sánchez.
On April 29, as A.M. Costa
Rica reported, the Foreign
Affairs Minister, Manuel E.
Ventura Robles met in his
office in the Yellow
House*, with the
Minister of Foreign Affairs
of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez
Parrilla.
The foreign ministers
discussed the positive state
of bilateral relations and
expressed the mutual will to
continue working to
strengthen it.
"I welcome this occasion
where we sit down with the
best intentions of sharing
experiences, in areas such
as gender equity and
inclusion, migration,
sustainable tourism and
climate change to explore
possibilities for
cooperation," said Minister
Ventura.
In addition, the Ministry
confirmed that among the
topics discussed were issues
such as Costa Rica's
position regarding the
crisis in Venezuela and
Nicaragua.
According to Costa Rican
Ministry, the signed
agreement with the Ministry
of Education of Cuba to
"carry out an exchange of
good educational practices,
professionals on academic
issues, joint organization
of conferences, as well as
support actions for
sustainable development."
With regard to the economic
blockade that the United
States imposed on Cuba, the
ministry confirmed that "he
reiterated his invariable
position of rejection of the
economic blockade of Cuba."
Regarding the embargo on
Cuba, the Cuban Minister
said in a press release that
with "the application of
Title III of the
Helms-Burton Act", that they
will be victorious again.
"We saw with indignation the
ridiculous spectacle of
Miami where additional
measures were announced",
said Cuban Minister
Rodríguez.
Previously, the U.S.
Secretary, Mike
Pompeo,
had announced the total
application of Title III,
which, as is known, would
allow suing Cuban companies,
foreigners or people who
allegedly have economic
relations with what they
call confiscated properties,
traffic with confiscated
properties, even though they
were nationalized according
to law.
The statements made by the
Minister of Cuba on April
17, can be reached at the
following link CubaMinRex*.
On Thursday April 25,
Minister Ventura met with
U.S. Secretary, Mike Pompeo,
and said "both countries
recognized in the other a
reliable partner.”
Among the topics of the
meeting was an analysis of
the conflicts that affect
the region, especially the
situation in Nicaragua and
Venezuela and the impact of
the Nicaragua crisis in
Costa Rica.
Minister Ventura spoke about
the latest report of the
Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for
Refugees, UNHCR, which
estimates that since the
beginning of the crisis,
62,000 Nicaraguans have fled
to other countries and
55,000 of them have sought
refuge in Costa Rica. That
means 88 percent of the
people who have escaped the
crisis in Nicaragua are
headed to Costa Rica.
"These figures can continue
to increase if a quick and
democratic solution to the
crisis that oppresses
Nicaragua is not found,"
said the Ministry in its
statement.
According to the Ministry,
Mr. Pompeo recognized the
importance of Costa Rica in
the search for a democratic
solution to the crisis in
Nicaragua and especially the
efforts of the country to
receive and grant refuge to
the Nicaraguans.
On another subject,
Secretary Pompeo, emphasized
the effective work that the
country has done in the
fight against illicit drug
trafficking thanks to the
cooperation of the United
States. According to
ministry statistics, in
2018, Costa Rica seized a
record 32.5 tons of cocaine.
"The donation by the United
States of three patrol boats
to the National Coast Guard
Service and four helicopters
for the Ministry of Security
will be decisive in the
common fight against
transnational organized
crime," said the Ministry in
its statement.
During the meeting in
Washington, Minister Ventura
was accompanied by the Costa
Rican Ambassador to the
United States, Fernando
Llorca. Secretary of State,
Pompeo was accompanied by
Mrs. Kimberly Breier,
Assistant Secretary for the
Western Hemisphere of the
Department of State.
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Should
a democratic
nation like
Costa Rica
reduce its
diplomatic
ties to
nations ruled
by
dictatorships?
We
would like to know your thoughts
on this story. Send your comments
to: news@amcostarica.com
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