Costa Rican president, Luis Guillermo Solís, during his visit this month to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah announced his country will establish an embassy and commercial office in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In an interview with EFE during his first tour of an Arab state, he said that the opening of both initiatives has already been approved with the goal of “broadening and consolidating bilateral relations.”

He also said that both countries have signed a visa waiver agreement and that Costa Rica has confirmed its participation in Expo Dubai 2020.

In addition, the foundations have been laid for Costa Rica to establish a platform in UAE that will allow it “to reach out into to rest of the Middle East,” and the United Arab Emirates will likewise develop a center in Costa Rica to meet their needs in the Central America and Caribbean region.

At the moment, the trade between Costa Rica and the UAE amounts to “a few million dollars”, but – according to Solís – there are good prospects for the future based on last year’s trade with the UAE which grew 25 percent thanks to the involvement of 60 small and medium-sized Costa Rican companies.

UAE Vice-President and Governor of Dubai, Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid al Maktum, meanwhile, has already announced to the media he will soon visit Costa Rica on a commercial mission.

In the interview Maktum also referred to the Paris Agreement for the fight against climate change, which he affirmed must be fulfilled so that the human species can survive, a point in common between the countries.

The Costa Rican president stressed that although “there has been a lot of speculation lately about the possibility of these agreements being reversed and that there are countries that leave the Paris consensus, Costa Rica will not.” The Paris agreement on climate change, ratified by 120 countries and entered into force on 4 November, aims to reduce emissions from countries to limit global warming. “We demand that the Paris Agreement be fulfilled and that the established commitments be maintained because that depends on the survival of our species,” said Solís.

In this regard, Solís highlighted the role of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the implementation of renewable energy worldwide. “Seeing how an oil and gas producer includes renewable energy shows an important perspective,” he said.

Solís highlighted Costa Rica’s investment in renewables, a sector in which the country has been working for more than 60 years. At present, the Central American country produces 98 percent of its electricity through clean energy, and 94.4 percent of homes have access to them.

“Our energy matrix is ​​made up of 75 percent of hydro, but we are also developing geothermal, solar, wind and biomass,” Solís said. The head of state of Costa Rica defended his vision at the World Summit on the Future of Energy, which was held in Abu Dhabi this month, where he ratified his country’s commitment to climate change.

Another goal of Costa Rica’s diplomatic and trade mission to the United Arab Emirates is to seek support for the reconstruction of the country after the effects of Hurricane Otto, and to meet with businessmen interested in Costa Rican products and services. He said his country and the UAE have “a shared vision” on many issues and there are “great prospects” for investments in the commercial, infrastructure and tourism sectors. -EFE and El Correo del Golfo