Blinken to travel to Costa Rica to discuss immigration issues with host and other countries

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, will travel to Costa Rica on June 1 and 2 to meet with the country’s President, Carlos Alvarado; he will also meet with representatives of Mexico, Santo Domingo, and Central American countries to discuss immigration issues.

According to the State Department, Blinken will meet in San José first with Alvarado and Costa Rican Foreign Minister, Rodolfo Solano, to discuss the relationship between the two countries, and then participate in a meeting of the Central American Integration System (SICA).

Regarding this information, Solano stated that “this visit confirms the extraordinary state of relations between the United States and Costa Rica. The current President of the United States, Joseph Biden, held a conversation with President Carlos Alvarado that allowed us to draw with precision and clarity the road map of our strategic relationship.”

Solano emphasized that Costa Rica and the United States share universal values. The meeting with Blinken will serve to “reconfirm historical ties” and evaluate “how to face the challenges of the future.”

This meeting aims to analyze the root causes that provoke immigration and study how to help the countries of origin in matters such as democratic improvements or the increase of security and economic opportunities.

Antony Blinken also plans to hold bilateral meetings with several attendees to discuss joint efforts on a country-by-country basis.

Through these meetings, according to the State Department, Blinken will seek to strengthen cooperation on common priority issues for these countries, including the fight against the pandemic and recovery from the crisis it has caused, as well as the fight against climate change.