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Estonia and Costa Rica

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Costa Rica lipp Estonia and Costa Rica

Bilateral relations

(last updated: 11.02.2013)


Costa Rica recognised Estonia through the admission of Estonia to the League of Nations on 22.09.1921.

During the Cold War years, Costa Rica emerged as an outstanding supporter of the sovereignty of the Baltic countries, who steadfastly criticised the Soviet occupation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Costa Rica repeatedly brought this subject forward at the UN General Assembly and its committees, proclaiming openly that the Soviet occupation of the Baltic countries was a forcible violation of international law and called the politics of the Soviet Union neo-colonialist.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were set on 4 October 1993. The first Costa Rican ambassador to Estonia was Xinnia L. Guevara Contreras, who presented her credentials in May 2004. The embassy is located in Oslo. The ambassador’s accreditation ended on 30 June 2006, after which time Costa Rica has been represented here on the level of chargé d’affaires.

Costa Rica`s Honorary Consul in Estonia is Gunnar Kraft. Honorary Consul Maare Siirak Mets de Brenes has represented Estonia in Costa Rica since April 2000.

Visits

to Costa Ricasse
April 2007 Foreign Minister Urmas Paet met in the framework of the XIII EU-Rio Group Ministerial Meeting in Santo Domingo with Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno
November 2000 Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Toomas Hendrik Ilves on a visit to Costa Rica
to Estonia
September 2004 Costa Rican Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Marco Vinicio Vargas Pereira on a visit to Estonia
October 1997 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica Fernando Naranjo Villalobos on official visit to Tallinn

Agreements

The following treaties have been signed by Estonia and Costa Rica:

  • Agreement on the abolition of visa requirements (came into force 24.06.01).

In the course of the visit of Toomas Hendrik Ilves, a joint declaration of the foreign ministries was signed.

Economic relations

TRADE

Trade between Estonia and Costa Rica 2007-2012 (in thousand EUR):

Year Imports Exports
2007 64.5 182.2
2008 146.7 965.7
2009 131.4 333.9
2010 18 308.4 1 639.9
2011 408.8 1 142.8
2012 11 months 325.2 536.9

Source: Statistical Office of Estonia www.stat.ee

Primary articles of export in 2012 (11 months):

  • Machinery and equipment – 60%
  • Medical and measuring equipment – 24.3%
  • Animal products – 13.8%

Primary articles of import in 2012 (11 months):

  • Machinery and equipment – 98.1%
  • Tobacco – 1.8%

INVESTMENTS

According to Bank of Estonia data, as of 30 September 2012 Estonian direct investments in Costa Rica have gone to the real estate sector.

Costa Rica’s investments as of the same date have gone to the wholesale and retail trade sector.

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