Costa Rican minister dismissed for unauthorized meeting with Trump

**Costa Rican Minister Dismissed for Unauthorized Meeting with Trump**

Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla has dismissed the country's Foreign Minister, Manuel Tovar, from his post. The reason given was the minister's participation in a regional security summit in the US without notifying the president.

The government stated that this situation prevented the president's own participation and caused serious strategic damage to the country's interests.

Laura Chinchilla said that she herself was supposed to participate in the meeting of Trump's anti-cartel alliance called "Shield of the Americas" held in New York. This coalition aims to combat drug trafficking and organized crime in the region.

The Costa Rican government announced that Tovar participated in the event without prior warning or notification to the president. A number of right-wing Latin American presidents also attended the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The 15 members of the coalition issued a joint statement expressing their intention to freeze assets, restrict visas, and prosecute members of 24 criminal organizations and their sponsors.

This meeting was another effort by Washington to promote a tougher approach against drug trafficking. Returning to office in 2025, Trump declared cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and ordered strikes against drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.

Costa Rica, long seen as a beacon of stability in Latin America, is currently suffering from a sharp increase in drug-related violence. Minister Manuel Tovar declined to comment on his dismissal, simply thanking the president for including him in the Cabinet.

Costa Rica's current Minister of Foreign Trade, Indiana Trejos, has been appointed as acting Minister of Foreign Affairs. She will assume her duties upon returning from her mission at the UN General Assembly.