Doha, 12 Dec. 2023

By Ashraf Siddiqui

Costa Rica is keen to boost bilateral relations with Qatar, the country’s Foreign Minister Arnoldo Andre Tinoco has said.

In his exclusive interview on the sidelines of Doha Forum, he admired the role of mediator and solution facilitator being played by Qatar in the Palestine conflict.

He described the conflict as ‘catastrophic’ for the entire world adding that Costa Rica also strives for peace and disarmament. “We believe in having a good neighbourhood,” he said, adding that the world needs to find a definite solution to the Palestine conflict.

Talking about the relations between Qatar and Costa Rica, Tinoco said that though this was his first visit to Qatar, he was impressed by its development as well as its constructive role in the region and around the world.

Top diplomat of Costa Rica said the visit gave him the opportunity to have extensive meetings and fruitful discussions with Qatari authorities including Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani; Minister of State and Chairman of Qatar Free Zone Authority (QFZ), Ahmad Al Sayed; and Director General Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), Khalifa bin Jassem Al Kuwari, besides officials of Qatar Foundation and Qatar Investment Authority.

He said that during his meetings, he had discussions on a number of areas where both the countries can further boost their relations, including the environmental sector which is very important in the backdrop of climate change.

He said that Costa Rica has developed capabilities that could be of interest to Qatar including eco-tourism. He said he met Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during a dinner hosted for the heads of delegations who participated in Doha Forum. “My country is waiting to receive His Highness in 2024 during his proposed visit to the region which will further boost bilateral relations in various sectors.”

He said that Qatar is the first country in the Middle East to establish diplomatic relations with his country almost 20 years ago and with the embassies-level ties coming into being 13 years.

“Soon, new ambassadors will be posted from Qatar to San Hose, Capital of Costa Rica and to Doha from Costa Rica,” he said.