Costa Rican foreign minister dismissed after attending a Trump security meeting

Costa Rica President Laura Fernandez dismissed Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar on Thursday after he attended a high-level regional security meeting led by US President Donald Trump without notifying her, preventing her from participating in the gathering.

Several right-wing Latin American presidents participated in a Tuesday meeting of the Shield of the Americas, an anti-cartel coalition launched in March by the Trump administration.

Tovar’s dismissal has taken effect immediately, Costa Rica’s government said in a statement.

The government added that Tovar’s negligence caused significant strategic damage by preventing Fernandez from participating in the meeting.

The Shield of the Americas is a US-led multinational coalition focused on combating drug trafficking and organised crime.

Costa Rica views the coalition as fundamental to its national and public security policy, the government said.
Indiana Trejos, Costa Rica’s current Minister of Foreign Trade, has been named acting Foreign Minister.
Trejos will assume the role upon returning from her mission at the United Nations General Assembly.