Costa Rican President Laura Fernandez has fired her foreign minister, Manuel Tovar, after he attended an important security summit in New York without informing her. Fernandez said she should have represented Costa Rica at the high-level meeting with United States President Donald Trump.
The Costa Rican government explained that Tovar's unapproved attendance prevented President Fernandez from participating herself. Officials said this omission caused serious strategic harm to the country's national interests. The summit focused on the "Shield of the Americas," a regional coalition aimed at fighting drug trafficking and organized crime.
During the meeting, held alongside the United Nations General Assembly, fifteen countries agreed to freeze assets and restrict visas for criminal groups. Costa Rica has long been seen as a stable nation in Latin America, but it is currently facing a rise in drug-related violence.
Following his dismissal, Tovar thanked the president for including him in her cabinet and avoided commenting further on the decision. Indiana Trejos, Costa Rica's Minister of Foreign Trade, will serve as acting foreign minister after returning from her mission at the United Nations.