Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy visits Costa Rica during her Latin America and Caribbean tour.

Her Excellency Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, visited the Republic of Costa Rica on 10 June 2023 with a senior delegation from both the UAE public and private sectors and the aim of enhancing cooperation between the two countries in the political, economic, cultural, and environmental spheres.

The delegation visited the Andrea Jimenez Institute for Disabled Children in San Jose, wherein HE Reem Al Hashimy met with Adriana Jimenez, the institute director. The children welcomed the Minister through a series of historic and cultural Costa Rican performances. During the visit, the UAE-Costa Rica People of Determination Art Gallery was launched, in which art work from the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination and the Andrea Jimenez Institute was presented.

Furthermore, HE Al Hashimy inaugurated the UAE Embassy in San Jose alongside HE Dr. Arnoldo André Tinoco, the Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship. HE Al Hashimy stated “I am here as part of a delegation of more than 40 people representing the United Arab Emirates because we recognize the vast potential for cooperation between our two nations. It signifies our desire to work together on all fronts, bringing our peoples together to increase trade and establish business connections, and most importantly; to work together for a better and more sustainable world.”

During the visit, HE Roudha Alotaiba, UAE Ambassador to Costa Rica, hosted a luncheon in honor of the delegation’s visit at her residence. Attendees included Dr. Stephan Brunner, the first Vice President of Costa Rica, HE Dr. Arnoldo André Tinoco, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship, HE Nogui Acosta, Minister of Finance, HE Luis Amador, Minister of Public Works and Transport, HE Franz Tattenbach, Minister of Environment and Energy, HE Victor Carvajal, Minister of Agriculture, HE Nayiribe Guadamuz, Minister of Culture, and HE Cindy Quesada, Minister of the Condition of Women, foreign ambassadors, and Costa Rican companies.
Opening remarks were delivered by HE Al Hashimy, HE Roudha Alotaiba and HE Dr. Arnoldo Andre Tinoco, in which he stated that Costa Rica “considers the United Arab Emirates as a strategic commercial partner, as the UAE has outlined actions that demonstrate its interest in cooperating with Costa Rica at the highest level, in the areas of education, climate, sustainability and innovation.” HE Al Hashimy and  HE Dr. Tinoco also signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Technical Cooperation.


The UAE delegation held various meetings with their Costa Rican counterparts. During HE Al Hashimy’s meeting with the Vice President, both sides discussed ways in which the two countries can collaborate further in increasing trade in the coming years and finalising the ongoing Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations. The two sides also discussed the UAE’s hosting of COP28 in Dubai this November and December, and the UAE’s goal to deliver an action-oriented conference that addresses climate change challenges with disruptive and long-term viable solutions.