Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba
Today, September 18, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba learned through media reports of a surprising statement made by Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar Rivera to the *Miami Herald* newspaper, claiming that "a rupture of diplomatic relations" with Cuba has occurred—a matter that has never been formally communicated by that country's authorities to the Cuban government.
As previously reported, on March 17, 2026, Costa Rica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship informed our Foreign Ministry—via a diplomatic note and without offering any justification—of its unilateral decision to close its embassy in Cuba. Furthermore, it requested that Cuba—without any justification and invoking alleged, unfounded reciprocity—withdraw diplomatic staff from its embassy in San José and retain only consular and administrative personnel.
At that time, the then-Costa Rican Foreign Minister, Arnoldo André Tinoco, communicated to the Cuban Foreign Ministry that these decisions "did not signify a rupture of diplomatic relations."
Institutional Communication 076-2026, published by the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry on March 18, 2026, under the headline "Closure of the Costa Rican Embassy in Cuba and withdrawal of Cuban diplomatic staff from Costa Rica," likewise makes no mention of a formal rupture of diplomatic relations with Cuba.
The fact that the current Costa Rican Foreign Minister has chosen to share information with a South Florida media outlet regarding an alleged rupture—of which the Cuban government is completely unaware—suggests that we are witnessing yet another act of subordination by the Costa Rican government to United States policy against Cuba.
Havana, September 18, 2026
(Cubaminrex-EmbaCuba Australia)