Sánchez underlines the willingness of Spain and Costa Rica to continue deepening the areas of common action between both countries

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The President of the Government of Spain stressed that Costa Rica is a loyal and committed partner that has participated in numerous Spanish initiatives and with which our country hopes to be able to "follow up and give continuity to this ambitious agenda that we have set in motion over the last few years".

Sánchez and Alvarado also discussed the evolution of current collaborations in areas of tourism, cybersecurity, infrastructure, sports diplomacy and entrepreneurship.

One of the areas in which the good relations between the two countries are evident is the large Spanish community in Costa Rica, the second largest in Central America. Moreover, Spaniards are the second largest group of tourists in the country. Spain is also the second most popular destination for Costa Rican students outside their own country.

Spain and Costa Rica share a concern on migration, an issue on which Spain is committed to continue collaborating in the framework of the Platform to Support the Regional Integrated Framework for Protection and Solutions (MIRPS). Sánchez highlighted Costa Rica's Ibero-American commitment to the Ibero-American Summits, and reaffirmed Spain's support for the Central American Integration System (SICA) and Central American regional integration. "We remain committed to the region and providing cooperation both through the Spain-SICA Fund and through bilateral cooperation programmes and our participation in the Central American Bank for Economic Integration," Sánchez stressed.

On the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sánchez and Alvarado agreed on a Joint Declaration in which they expressed their "firm condemnation of the use of force and the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity" and demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities.

Trade relations between Spain and Costa Rica

In terms of trade, in 2021, Spanish exports to Costa Rica amounted to 269.3 million euros and imports reached 293.5 million euros. Costa Rica is also the second largest destination for Spanish investment in Central America. In fact, Spanish gross investment flows in Costa Rica in 2020 stood at 18.4 million euros, focused on building construction and manufacturing activities.

Costa Rica is the second placed Central American country in terms of the number of Spanish companies in its territory, with nearly 70, which have contributed to the creation of 18,000 jobs in the country. In this sense, Spain could increase its collaboration and investment in Costa Rica in areas such as the Fast Passenger Train, the extension of Route 27, the Government City and green hydrogen, among other major infrastructure projects currently planned in Costa Rica.

On COVID-19, Sánchez and Alvarado discussed the "team spirit" that both countries have maintained during the pandemic, with initiatives such as support for reinforced multilateralism, or the C-TAP initiative, launched by Costa Rica, to which Spain has contributed by releasing a CSIC patent that analyses the presence of antibodies in the body, and identifies whether they have been produced after infection or by vaccination against this disease.

In this respect, the president of the Government of Spain stressed that it is necessary to prepare for the future: "That is why I am promoting an initiative to support vaccine production in the region with the European Commission".

Two agreements were also signed at the Moncloa Palace: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Spain as an Entrepreneurial Nation, by the High Commissioner for Spain as an Entrepreneurial Nation, and a letter of intent to advance the bilateral agreement on social security, signed by the Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, José Luis Escrivá.

Sánchez stressed the willingness of both leaders to continue deepening areas of common action between the two countries and the desire to give continuity to this "ambitious agenda" that both governments have set in motion over recent years.

Non official translation