Nicaragua president, Daniel Ortega, is back at it again, his administration once again making claims on Costa Rican territory, this time the Isla Bolaños, a tiny piece of land in the Bahia Salinas, located in the Pacific ocean, at the northern end of the Guanacaste province, which clearly belongs to Costa Rica.
Experts believe the claim is Ortega’s way of strengthening his image in his country, as he faces re-election in his country.
Eduardo Ubarri, former Costa Rica Ambassador to the United Nations, reminds us that Nicaragua lost a similar claim, the International Court of Justice at The Hague ruling in favor of Costa Rica with respect tot he Isla Portillo/Isla Calero and the alleged evnironmental damage by Costa Rica to the San Juan river border.
“The adventurism of Ortega is directly proportional to its internal political maneuvering. In reality he (Ortega) is seeking re-election in a process devoid of legitimacy and that is highly questioned inside and outside the country,” said Ubarri.
In the same vein, Carlos Cascante, director of the career of International Relations at the National University, had this to say about the motives behind Ortega claim: “The proximity to the elections in Nicaragua has caused both Daniel Ortega, as his Foreign Minister, Samuel Santos, to use the latest developments related to Costa Rica to strengthen the image of Ortega”.
Meanwhile, political scientist Constantino Urcuyo described the claim as “an act of thuggery by the Nicaraguan government,” knowing that Costa Rica has no weapons to defend itself.
Source La Republica
