Epsy Campbell, Costa Rica First Vice-President, who last week made her first official trip to Jamaica, has committed to working with the Jamaican government to deepen relations between the two countries.
In a one-on-one interview with The Gleaner, in New Kingston last week Monday, Campell said Costa Rica is keen on strengthening the ties with its Caribbean neighbors.
“When I was elected, the first congratulations I received was from Jamaica and that means a lot. Not only for me but for my father, my family and also the [people] of Jamaican descent. Most of the people in my political party said ‘What that means? Congratulations from Jamaica?’,” she said.
Campbell was in Jamaica for the biennial Diaspora Conference which was taking place in downtown Kingston last week.
During her visit to Jamaica, Campell was especially interested in developing economic and social resilience for the people of afro-descent who live within the region.
“We have to fight for the people to make [things] better. The region has probably the most Afro-descendants and over the years they have not achieved their full potential. So, we have to make it better. We have to find a way to make their lives better and to make the people understand that they were not born to just become poor,” Campbell told The Gleaner.
“We are talking about education and all those things, proper housing and jobs for the people of Afro-descent … I am very passionate about it,” she added.
Currently, there are no direct flights between Costa Rica and Jamaica, but Campbell said she was open to the idea of having one, saying, “such an arrangement might be necessary to facilitate the tightness both countries were seeking achieve.”
Campbell told The Gleaner that her government is working on convincing the Government of Jamaica to set up a mission in Costa Rica, as Costa Rica has done in Jamaica.
