A leading Costa Rican civil society organization has issued a sharp rebuke of the Costa Rican government’s recent decision targeting Cuba, labeling the move a diplomatically unjustified action that directly violates long-held international principles of cooperative engagement, sovereign equality and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states. The organization’s formal statement, first published by local Costa Rican publication Surcos magazine, makes clear that the group stands unwavering in solidarity with both the Cuban government and the Cuban people.
The statement stresses that the Costa Rican government’s policy choice has dealt a significant blow to decades of friendly bilateral ties between the two Latin American nations, eroding deep historical connections that have bound their populations together for generations. Members of the organization, identified as CBYLO, frame this latest decision as part of a growing pattern of actions that run counter to both the principle of national self-determination and core democratic standards that the region has long championed.
Surcos’ publication of the statement highlights the deep shared history between Costa Rica and Cuba, pointing to iconic 19th-century Cuban independence leaders Antonio Maceo and Jose Marti, both of whom spent time in Costa Rica during their struggles for Cuban sovereignty. These shared historical moments, the statement notes, are foundational to the cross-border bonds that unite the two peoples.
Beyond rejecting the government’s decision, the organization categorizes the measure as a deliberate hostile act directed at the ordinary Cuban people. The statement extends explicit solidarity to the diplomatic team stationed at the Cuban Embassy in San José, reaffirming the organization’s long-standing support for the Caribbean island nation.
To conclude, the statement calls for renewed unity across all Latin American peoples, joining the global call for an immediate end to the decades-long United States trade and economic blockade against Cuba, as well as all other unilateral coercive measures that inflict widespread harm on the Cuban population.