Q COSTA RICA — Former Costa Rican foreign minister Manuel Tovar posted the biblical verse “Conocerán la verdad, y la verdad los hará libres” (You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free) on X several days after President Laura Fernández dismissed him.
This is the second time Tovar has made a public statement following his dismissal, which was announced on Thursday, September 24, following his attendance at the Shield of the Americas meeting in New York, via a press release issued by the Presidency.
That same day, at an event in Golfito attended by U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica Melinda Hildebrand, the president stated that “there are errors that cannot be overlooked” and expressed regret over her absence from the Shield of the Americas meeting.
Casa Presidencial said he had failed to inform Fernández that U.S. President Donald Trump would attend, preventing her from taking part.
However, Argentine President Javier Milei offered a different account. Milei stated in an interview with Argentina’s La Nación newspaper, “Trump was not scheduled to attend the Shield of the Americas meeting.”
According to Milei, Trump’s attendance resulted from a last-minute schedule change, and that minutes before Trump’s arrival, Marco Rubio informed them of the unexpected visit.
Fernández also accused Tovar of appointing himself to attend the meeting rather than giving her the invitation and allowing her to decide who should represent Costa Rica, and even warned them that they would realize it was happening because journalists were going to enter the venue.
Fernández described the event as a strategic gathering intended for heads of state and warned that all ministers must consult her before making decisions of that importance.
Costa Rica’s La Nación reported that Tovar did not directly explain his post, but its timing gave it the appearance of an indirect response to his dismissal.
Despite official questioning, Tovar responded in a conciliatory tone on social media, thanking Fernández for the opportunity to serve the country. “It has been the greatest honor of my professional life to serve as Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Minister of the Republic,” the former minister stated, affirming that he accepts his departure “with great peace of mind.”
Following Tovar’s departure, the President appointed Indiana Trejos Gallo—the current Minister of Foreign Trade—as Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs; she will take charge of the “Casa Amarilla” (Foreign Ministry) after concluding her mission at the UN.
The Shield of the Americas
The Shield of the Americas was founded last March in Florida at Trump’s initiative, bringing together his conservative allies. Peru, Chile, and Colombia have just joined the group.
The then-president, Rodrigo Chaves, and Fernández—as president-elect—traveled to the alliance’s official launch event.
On September 22, the U.S.-led Shield of the Americas alliance proposed collectively sanctioning 24 organized crime groups in the region, which they consider “an immediate and shared threat.”