Costa Rica minister fired for unapproved meeting with Trump in US
President Fernandez dismisses foreign minister over his attendance at the "Shield of the Americas" meeting in New York.
Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar has been dismissed by President Laura Fernandez following an unapproved meeting with US President Donald Trump at a US-led regional security summit in New York. The government asserts that Tovar's attendance, without informing the president, obstructed her attendance and inflicted significant harm on the country's strategic interests.
Tovar, a conservative ally of Trump, breached protocol by joining the meeting without prior notice or informing Fernandez. The summit, aimed at combating drug trafficking and organized crime across the region, brought together several right-wing Latin American presidents and fifteen coalition members. They issued a joint statement announcing plans to impose asset freezes, visa restrictions, and seek criminal liability against members and supporters of 24 criminal organizations.
The meeting was perceived as Trump's latest attempt to unite the region in a more aggressive stance against drug trafficking. Since taking office last year, Trump has classified cartels as foreign "terrorist" organizations and ordered numerous strikes on drug-carrying vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
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