Minister officially opens Costa Rican Embassy in Jakarta

Costa Rican Foreign Affairs Minister Manuel Antonio Gonzalez Sanz officially opened the Embassy of the Republic of Costa Rica in Jakarta.

The minister had previously announced the establishment of the embassy during his visit to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta on Sunday, stating that it followed 32 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

"Indonesia and Costa Rica have both signed a cooperation framework agreement that is in the process of being approved by both parliaments. We hope to have that in place soon," he stated, after the official opening of the Embassy in Jakarta, on Tuesday, adding that stronger cooperation between the two countries will immediately be carried out.

He further stated that there are a number of sectors, the first one being education, that Costa Rica would like to concentrate on in terms of intensifying cooperation with Indonesia.

"We see a lot of potentials in education and exchanges of students. We already have one student here in Indonesia from Costa Rica. That is one aspect that is very important for us, and we are paying a lot of attention to it," he affirmed.

The second field is renewable energy, as Costa Rica generates 99.5 percent of its energy supply from renewable resources, he continued.

"We are aiming a lot into geothermal resources; nowadays, 15 percent of our power is generated by geothermal resources, and we see that Indonesia has a lot of potential for that kind of clean energy," he added.

He also touched on the possibility of partnership between Indonesia and Costa Rica in implementing the United Nations 2030 agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"For instance, we have seen the partnership both in the Atlantic and the Pacific. There are lot of seas surrounding our area, and the preservation of the oceans is one of the aspects on which more and more countries should work together. If oceans get polluted, we would not survive as human beings," he stated.

The official opening of the Costa Rican Embassy was carried out by Sanz, along with Indonesias Deputy Foreign Minister AM Fachir, by cutting a ribbon that was adorned with the colors of the Costa Rican flag.

A number of ambassadors, representing Latin American countries in Indonesia, were also seen attending the ceremonial function.

Source: ANTARA