Rubio Meets with Costa Rican President to Discuss Challenges in Western Hemisphere

Statement

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), the chairman of the Senate's western hemisphere subcommittee, today met with Costa Rica President Luis Guillermo Solís and Foreign Affairs Minister Manuel González Sanz to discuss transnational drug trafficking, Cuban migration across Central America, and the ongoing political, economic and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, among other issues.

"The United States and Costa Rica have long been united by our shared democratic values, and it was my honor to welcome their president to Washington today," said Rubio. "While Costa Rica's neutrality in foreign affairs has made it an oasis of stability in the region, it has nonetheless been affected by illicit trafficking, violence and migratory crises that spill across its borders.

"Today I discussed the importance of Costa Rica's support for the Alliance for Prosperity to combat corruption and drug trafficking in Central America's Northern Triangle," Rubio continued. "I also urged the Costa Rican government to work closely with U.S., international relief agencies and non-profits to ensure Cuban migrants stranded in their territory are treated humanely and given an opportunity to make their asylum claims, instead of indiscriminately being returned to the repressive Castro regime.

"As the situation in Venezuela keeps deteriorating, I stressed the importance of all democracies in the Western Hemisphere speaking with one voice in calling on the Organization of American States to invoke the democratic charter against the Maduro regime," Rubio added. "I will continue pushing to make sure our allies and partners throughout the region understand the urgency of dealing with the political and humanitarian crisis Maduro has imposed on Venezuela, and I will continue to stand on the side of the Venezuelan people."

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