On 9 October, Grand Chancellor Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo received Arnaldo André Tinoco, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, at the Magistral Palace.

Among the topics discussed during the colloquium were cooperation in paediatrics with the Hospital del Niño in the capital San José and the current situation in Central America, with particular reference to migration flows. Minister Tinoco has asked the Order of Malta’s cooperation in assisting migrants crossing Costa Rica to reach the United States. As many as one million migrants enter Costa Rica every year, a significant number for a local population of five million inhabitants.

The serious events taking place in the Holy Land were also discussed. The Grand Chancellor reaffirmed the Order of Malta’s condemnation of the terrorist attacks against the people of Israel in the south of the country and its appeal to the international community to make every effort to put an end to the escalation of violence and to protect the civilian population.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Order of Malta and Costa Rica.