Nicaragua and Costa Rica work to improve relations

Although the results were not as expected, the first meeting at the Deputy Foreign Minister level between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, which took place on April 14 in the city of Penas Blancas, the border area between the two Central American countries, ended with the commitment of both sides to hold the next meeting in early May.

This is also the first contact between officials of the two countries after six months of frozen bilateral relations since the outbreak of a territorial dispute in the Celaro Island area in the shared border area.

Costa Rican Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Roverssi. Source: Getty Images

Speaking to the press after the talks, Costa Rica's Deputy Foreign Minister, Carlos Roverssi, said the two sides focused on discussing issues related to security and combating drug crimes.

The two countries agreed to hold a second meeting on May 5, scheduled to take place in Guatemala, the country that has mediated with Mexico. Deputy Minister Roverssi considered this a positive step to restore trust between the two countries.

In a related statement, Mexican Deputy Foreign Minister Rubén Beltrán Guerrero said that the two sides have made important steps on the long road towards normalizing relations.

For her part, Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla Miranda positively evaluated the meeting and hoped that the relationship between the two countries would soon improve.

The press in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico has not reported on the possibility of negotiations on the territorial dispute. However, on-site analysts believe that the key point in the relationship between Nicaragua and Costa Rica will still be the territorial issue.

According to VNA