SAN JOSÉ — Minister of Foreign Affairs Manuel Tovar has clarified that there is no formal proposal for U.S. military ground operations in Costa Rica, clarifying recent statements made by President Laura Fernández.
Speaking in an interview with Fernando del Rincón on CNN en Español, Tovar addressed concerns regarding President Fernández’s comments to Reuters, in which she suggested that U.S. ground forces “would do national security a lot of good.”
Tovar emphasized that no concrete military proposal exists:
“In any case, there is no proposal in that regard [ground operations]. Any proposal involving a major intervention, if it were military in nature, would require constitutional approval by a qualified majority.”
He added that non-military assistance—such as intelligence sharing and joint operations with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Coast Guard—remains ongoing and fully within legal frameworks.
Security Cooperation Agreements and Confidential Discussions
Addressing security cooperation following a recent meeting with Marco Rubio, Tovar acknowledged that new security commitments were discussed to combat transnational crime, though not all have been formalized in writing.
“There are commitments that are already in writing, there are commitments that are verbal, and there are commitments that are unfolding over time,” Tovar stated.
He noted that certain details of the discussions must remain confidential due to their sensitive nature, while confirming that the United States will continue providing Costa Rica with equipment, training, and logistical support in the coming months.
