A close U.S. government ally in Latin America, Central American Costa Rica, is cutting diplomatic ties with Cuba.
March 19, 2026, 05:48March 19, 2026, 05:48
“The government of Costa Rica does not recognize the legitimacy of the communist regime in Cuba,” said conservative President Rodrigo Chaves. Havana criticized the decision. Costa Rica is joining the US government’s offensive to isolate Cuba from other countries in the region.
Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves.Image: keystone
In response to human rights violations and repression of opposition activists in Cuba, the Costa Rican embassy in Havana will be closed, said Foreign Minister Arnoldo André. Cuba was asked to withdraw its diplomatic staff from Costa Rica. Only consular officials were allowed to stay, the minister said. This makes Costa Rica the second Latin American country after Ecuador to break off diplomatic relations with Cuba in just under two weeks.
Only a few countries in Latin America still actively supported Cuba
Since the revolution in 1959 under Fidel Castro, the Cuban government has been a parasite for other countries, criticized Costa Rican President Chaves. Enough is enough. “You must recognize that the communist model has failed in Cuba as well as everywhere it has been introduced.”
Until the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in the 1990s, Moscow was Cuba’s most important economic and political ally. Then oil-rich Venezuela came to the rescue. However, after the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by the US military on January 3rd, Cuba has lost the support of its South American brother state and oil supplier.
Against the backdrop of tensions with Washington, almost no Latin American countries are now actively supporting the socialist Caribbean state. The exception is Mexico’s left-wing government. Recently the region has experienced a shift to the right. In countries like Bolivia and Argentina that were former allies of Cuba, right-wing politicians close to US President Donald Trump have come to power after elections. (sda/dpa)