Readout of the President and Vice President's Meeting with President Luis Guillermo Solis of Costa Rica

The President attended a meeting today between the Vice President and President Luis Guillermo Solis of Costa Rica at the White House to discuss the overall situation in Central America and new steps to improve security and governance and protect vulnerable migrants.  The President and Vice President commended Costa Rica for its leadership in establishing a “protective transfer arrangement” in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration to provide temporary safe haven for up to two hundred migrants at a time from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.  The leaders agreed that the challenge of irregular migration in the Americas will require close cooperation among all affected countries through stronger border security and upholding the rule of law, while respecting the rights of individuals who qualify for asylum under international refugee standards.  The Vice President and President Solis also pledged to continue advancing regional electricity integration and deepen energy cooperation initiatives following on the U.S.-Caribbean-Central American Energy Summit hosted in Washington, D.C.  in May.

The President and the Vice President underscored the United States’ commitment to strong bilateral ties with Costa Rica and robust cooperation and regional leadership in areas including combating global climate change, protecting the environment, promoting lawful and orderly migration, counternarcotics, and citizen security.  The leaders agreed that a well-governed, prosperous, and stable Central America would contribute immeasurably to the future of the Western Hemisphere.