Under pressure from the United States, Costa Rica announces the closure of its embassy in Havana and limits relations with Cuba to consular matters
19 March 2026
On March 17th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship of the Republic of Costa Rica informed our Foreign Ministry, via a diplomatic note and without offering any justification, of its unilateral decision to close that country’s Embassy in Cuba.
Furthermore, without any justification and invoking an alleged and unfounded principle of reciprocity, it requested that Cuba withdraw the diplomatic staff from its Embassy in San José and retain only consular and administrative personnel.
It also notified that, as of April 1st, the government of Costa Rica will maintain relations with Cuba at the consular level.
The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs categorically rejects the disrespectful statements made by Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles at a press conference on March 18th, when, in an attempt to justify this unfriendly act by his government, he crudely manipulated the history and reality of Cuba and scandalously ignored the direct responsibility that the U.S. blockade policy has had in the worsening of the economic situation and the deterioration of the living conditions of the Cuban people—a fact recognized over the years by the Costa Rican government itself.
This is an arbitrary decision, evidently adopted under pressure and without taking into account the national interests and those of that sister nation.
With this step, the Costa Rican government, which has a history of subordination to U.S. policy against Cuba, once again joins the U.S. government’s offensive in its renewed attempts to isolate our country from the nations of Our America, and becomes a participant in its aggressive escalation against the Cuban Revolution, rejected by the international community.
Just as it did 60 years ago, it will fail in this endeavor. Nothing can drive a wedge between the peoples of Cuba and Costa Rica, united by unbreakable bonds of a shared history, enriched by great heroes of Cuban independence such as José Martí and Antonio Maceo.
Havana, March 18th, 2026.
