Costa Rica on Wednesday closed its embassy in Havana and instructed Cuba’s communist government to withdraw its diplomats from San José. “We have to clean out communists from the hemisphere,” Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves declared following the diplomatic rupture.
The Cuban Embassy in the U.S. responded to the closure by alleging in a social media post that Costa Rica’s move was made “under pressure from the United States.” Costa Rica’s leadership aligns itself with former President Donald Trump, who has recently suggested he may “take” Cuba.
Cuba’s communist government has faced months of intense U.S. pressure and severe energy shortages. The island nation experienced island-wide power blackouts this week, with protests reported last week.
Costa Rican Foreign Minister Arnoldo Andre Tinoco expressed “deep concern” over the “sustained deterioration of the human rights situation in Cuba, as well as the increase in acts of repression against citizens, activists, and dissidents.” He stated, “We have made the decision to proceed with the closure of the Costa Rican embassy in the Republic of Cuba.”
Tinoco further explained, “Likewise, we have requested that the Cuban Foreign Ministry withdraw its diplomatic personnel from the embassy in San José, with the exception of consular officials.”
By taking this action, Costa Rica follows another Trump ally, Ecuador, which on March 4 expelled Cuba’s ambassador, Basilio Gutierrez. Ecuador accused him of interfering in the country’s internal political affairs and engaging in “violent activities.”
Former President Trump commented on Sunday that the Cuban and U.S. governments are in talks, saying, “I think we will pretty soon either make a deal or do whatever we have to do.” While he has not specified what his plans are for Cuba, Trump told reporters Tuesday, “We’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon.”
On Monday, Trump also stated, “Whether I free it, take it, I think I could do anything I want with it.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/costa-rica-shutters-embassy-cuba/