Costa Rica closed its embassy in Havana on Wednesday and expelled Cuban diplomats from the country after warning that it is necessary to "clean the hemisphere of communists. " President Rodrigo Chaves told the press that from now on, Costa Rica "does not recognize the legitimacy of the communist regime in Cuba in light of the mistreatment, repression, and the undignified conditions in which the inhabitants of that beautiful island are kept. " "There is a need to clean the hemisphere of communists (...
), we will not give legitimacy to the regime that oppresses and tortures almost 10 million Cubans today," affirmed the right-wing leader, who will be succeeded by his party mate Laura Fernández on May 8. When asked if his decision signifies a break in relations, Chaves stated that "at this moment, Costa Rica and the Cuban communist regime do not have diplomatic relations. " The Costa Rican president gave Cuban diplomats until the end of the month to leave the country.
Only consular staff Chaves indicated that if desired, Havana could maintain its consular staff in the country to assist around 10,000 Cuban residents, while Costa Rica will serve its citizens from Panama. The Costa Rican embassy had not had diplomatic personnel since February 5. Costa Rica is an ally of U.
S. President Donald Trump, who maintains an energy blockade against Cuba and has multiplied his threats to take control of the island. "We have made the decision to proceed (...
) with the closure of the Costa Rican embassy in the Republic of Cuba. Likewise, we have requested the Cuban Foreign Mi…
" "With this step, the Costa Rican government, which exhibits a history of subordination to U. S. policy against Cuba, once again joins the offensive of the U.
S. government in its renewed attempts to isolate our country from the nations of Our America," states a statement released by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs.