Austrian and Costa Rican Foreign Ministers Celebrate 150 Years of Diplomatic Relations
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, Dr. Arnoldo André, met with his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Schallenberg, to discuss a broad agenda of bilateral and multilateral issues in the context of the celebration of 150 years of diplomatic relations between both countries.
On 08 May 2023, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg received his counterpart from Costa Rica Arnoldo Andre-Tinoco in Vienna. / Picture: © BMEIA Bundesministerium für Europa, Integration und Äußeres / Gruber / Flickr Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg received his Costa Rican counterpart Arnoldo André Tinoco at the Foreign Ministry in Vienna. The focus of the meeting was the expansion of the strategic partnership between Austria and Costa Rica, particularly the strengthening of their economic ties, as well as global impacts of the Russian attack on Ukraine and current developments in Latin America, specifically Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Having a 150-year long history of diplomatic relations, Austria and Costa Rica signed a Strategic Partnership agreement in 2021. The agreement prioritizes environmental protection, education and science, digitalization, cybersecurity, and disarmament. Costa Rica is also an advocate of the rules-based world order in Latin America, making it a crucial partner for multilateral responses to the Russian attack on Ukraine.
Economic cooperation is another critical aspect of the partnership. Costa Rica has enormous potential in green technology and renewable energy, which could be harnessed through cooperation with Austrian firms and their expertise. A bilateral economic forum is expected to be held soon to develop projects in these areas.
The meeting also addressed regional concerns, particularly the current situations in Nicaragua and Venezuela, which are under significant Russian influence. Foreign Minister Schallenberg expressed his concern about these developments and their potential impact on Costa Rica and the wider region.
Both ministers expressed their commitment to deepening the partnership between their countries and strengthening cooperation on global challenges. They also underscored the importance of multilateralism and a rules-based international order in addressing these challenges.
The meeting also addressed Costa Rica's inclusion on the list of non-cooperative jurisdictions in fiscal matters of the Council of the European Union, and the Costa Rican side reiterated its commitment to adopt the necessary regulations to exclude the country from that list.
Finally, the collaboration between the University of Vienna and Costa Rica in the La Gamba research center, located in the Corcovado area, which constitutes an essential point in the research on tropical forests, was highlighted.
Costa Rican Foreign Minister André was accompanied by the Ambassador of Costa Rica in Austria, Alejandro Solano, the Minister Counselors Verónica García and Alina Cañas, and Counselor Gustavo Sancho.