This Tuesday, the US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, arrived at the Presidential House in Costa Rica, as part of Pompeo’s tour of Colombia, Costa Rica, and Jamaica, whose objective, according to official information, is to “renew the deep United States commitment to its hemispheric neighbors”. This will be the first visit to the country in 10 years of the top ranking of US diplomacy.
For the incorporation of Costa Rica to this tour -the first in the last 10 years, when the former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, had that responsability- was taken into consideration the country’s historic commitment to freedom and democracy in the Western Hemisphere.
Some of the issues that will be addressed correspond to the situation in Venezuela and Nicaragua, the increase in migratory flows and the impact in Costa Rica and the joint efforts in the area of security and combating drug trafficking.
The Chancellor of the Republic, Manuel Ventura, will also participate in the event; the Minister of Foreign Trade, Dyalá Jiménez; Public Security Minister Michael Soto and the head of the Intelligence and Security Directorate (DIS), Eduardo Trejos. Also, the ambassador of Costa Rica in Washington, Fernando Llorca, and the representative of Costa Rica before the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, Ottón Solís.
For his part, Pompeo will be accompanied by Michael Kozak, Undersecretary of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the US Department of State; Sharon Day, US ambassador to Costa Rica; Michael G. Kozak, Undersecretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs; Morgan Otargus, spokeswoman for the State Department; Ricky L. Waddell, Lieutenant General of the Army Reserve; and Alyssa Servello (note taker).
The visit culminated the same Tuesday with a tour of the Joint Operations Center of the Ministry of Public Security, located in Base 2 of the Juan Santamaría International Airport. After Costa Rica, Pompeo will continue his official tour to Jamaica.
