Manuel Tovar Rivera, Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica, speaks during a press conference at the OECD Headquarters in Paris, France, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
Costa Rica President Laura Fernandez dismissed Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar Rivera on Thursday after he attended a high-level regional security meeting led by US President Donald Trump without notifying her, preventing her from participating in the gathering.
Several right-wing Latin American presidents participated in a Tuesday meeting of the Shield of the Americas, an anti-cartel coalition launched in March by the Trump administration.
- Tovar’s dismissal has taken effect immediately, Costa Rica’s government said in a statement.
- The government added that Tovar’s negligence caused significant strategic damage by preventing Fernandez from participating in the meeting.
- The Shield of the Americas is a US-led multinational coalition focused on combating drug trafficking and organized crime.
- Costa Rica views the coalition as fundamental to its national and public security policy, the government said.
- Indiana Trejos, Costa Rica’s current Minister of Foreign Trade, has been named acting Foreign Minister.
- Trejos will assume the role upon returning from her mission at the United Nations General Assembly.
(Reuters)
