Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi, the Chairman of the Department of Government Relations (DGR) in Sharjah, recently met with Manuel Tovar Rivera, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment of Costa Rica, to discuss strengthening collaboration between their respective regions. The two discussed trade, food security, and the transportation of goods sector, with the aim of identifying ways to benefit from available incentives.

The meeting, held at the House of Wisdom and in the presence of Sheikh Majid Bin Abdullah Al Qasimi, Director of DGR, and Alfonso Murillo Fallas, Minister Counsellor and Consul General of Costa Rica in the UAE, covered the experiences gained in industrial cities and free zones.

As part of the visit, Sheikh Fahim accompanied the Costa Rican delegation on a tour of the House of Wisdom, a futuristic library and social hub. The guests were introduced to the amenities and facilities offered at the cultural edifice and briefed on the cultural events and activities organised throughout the year. They also learned about the library’s collection of rare and valuable books in different domains.

In a statement following the meeting, Sheikh Fahim said, “We have had several meetings with Costa Rica to advance cooperation across several industries, with the ultimate objective of broadening the scope of our joint efforts and leveraging the position and resources of our free zones and industrial zones to attract an increased influx of Costa Rican investors.”

Adding to this the DGR Chairman stated, “Our meeting with the Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment was marked by comprehensive exploration of the opportunities to bolster our collaborative efforts towards attaining heightened levels of food security, particularly by way of flexible investment in the exchange of goods and the assurance of uninterrupted supply chains, through coordinated measures with traders and suppliers from both Sharjah and the various cities of Costa Rica.”

Manuel Tovar Rivera was impressed by the advancement and development that Sharjah has achieved in various areas, particularly in the cultural and economic fields. He also noted that the meeting explored opportunities to strengthen cooperation between the two sides in trade and ways to strengthen communication between investors and businessmen to maximise the opportunities available in Sharjah and Costa Rican cities. Meanwhile Arnoldo Andre, Foreign Minister of Costa Rica, earlier has highlighted the importance of the UAE for his country, highlighting the increase in bilateral trade by 292.3 per cent, since the opening of the Costa Rican embassy in the UAE in 2017.

Costa Rica enjoys 12 years of diplomatic relations with the UAE. Since then, he said “our commercial, educational and tourism ties have been strengthened and represent an example of the enormous advantages of building bridges with the Middle East since our actions in economic diplomacy.”