Costa Rica, Egypt resume diplomatic ties

Costa Rica and Egypt on Wednesday resumed their diplomatic relations which had been suspended since 1983, the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry announced.

The agreement on ties resumption was reached by Costa Rican Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno and his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Abul Gheit on the sidelines of the ongoing 14th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Havana, capital of Cuba, the ministry said in a statement.

They also agreed to reopen their embassies soon.

The two ministers also exchanged views on boosting bilateral political, trade and economic cooperation, vowing to strengthen bilateral coordination in international organizations.

The resumption of ties came about one month after Costa Rican President Oscar Arias said on Aug. 16 that his government had decided to move its embassy in Israel from the disputed city of Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.

Costa Rica moved its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 1982, chilling its relations with the Arab world and prompting Egypt to suspend diplomatic ties the following year.

As the Arab League is headquartered in Egypt, the resumption of ties with Egypt would boost Costa Rica's relationship with "the Arab and Islamic world as well as opening trade opportunities with these nations," said Stagno, who also expressed Costa Rica's willingness to restore diplomatic relations with Jordan.

The status of Jerusalem has been one of the most sensitive issues in the Israel-Palestine dispute.

Israel, which captured the eastern part of Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war, claims Jerusalem as its "undivided and eternal" capital.

The Palestinians, however, have been disputing this, vowing to build an independent state with East Jerusalem as their capital.

Source: Xinhua