Costa Rica supports peaceful solution to Sahara issue under Morocco’s territorial integrity

Costa Rica’s president Rodrigo Chaves has affirmed that his country supports a peaceful solution to the Moroccan Sahara issue within the framework of the Kingdom’s territorial integrity.

The Costa Rican president said in an interview with MAP that “his country calls for a peaceful and diplomatic solution so that there is territorial integrity for all countries.”

Rodrigo Chaves insisted that his country supports “peaceful solutions to conflicts that exist in the world (…). In the case of Morocco, we will not make an exception.”

The Costa Rican head of state stressed in this context that “Costa Rica is the only country in the world that has no army, no navy, no infantry, no air force and no special forces. We do not have a single warship, not a single tank and not a single military aircraft. Therefore, Costa Rica is a model country in terms of peaceful coexistence with our neighbors.”

In this interview, President Rodrigo Chaves also hailed “the very strong leadership” of Mohammed VI, which has allowed Morocco, he said, to consolidate the values of democracy, human rights, sustainable development and environmental preservation.

These are all values that are shared by Costa Rica and Morocco, alongside their friendly countries in the European Union, as well as other democratic countries in the Americas.

Referring to the ceremony of his inauguration last May, Rodrigo Chaves said he was “very honored that His Majesty the King sent the head of government to Costa Rica” to represent him at the ceremony, adding that he is upbeat that the two countries can move forward in strengthening their cultural and economic relations and work together in the concert of nations to advance their common interests. “Despite the fact that we are geographically distant, I believe that our friendship will give us many benefits.”

Rodrigo Chaves stressed that Morocco is “a very important country in the history of the world” which shares with Costa Rica “a deep commitment to respect human rights.”

The President further described Morocco as “an impressive and great country” which has a long history. Personally I love the city of Marrakech, the Moroccan gastronomy and all the beautiful things you have”.