Costa Rica invites Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega to SICA, meeting with Barack Obama

April 3^rd, 2013 (InsideCostaRica.com)  Costa Rica invited Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, to participate in the summit of the Central American Integration System (SICA) to be held in May in San Jose, and for which U.S. president, Barack Obama will be in attendance.

Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister, Enrique Castillo, told Nicaraguan television yesterday that Costa Rica had invited President Ortega through Nicaragua’s ambassador to the Organization of American States, Denis Moncada, to be present on May 4^th.

Castillo added that Costa Rica’s executive branch has still to send formal invitations to Central American presidents.

“We have been in contact via phone with all of [Central America’s leaders]…We hope all SICA countries are represented, as it will be a historic meeting,” Castillo said on Channel 15 in Nicaragua.

Tensions have marked the relationship between Nicaragua and Costa Rica the last two years due to a territorial dispute over Calero Island.

President Ortega and Costa Rican president, Laura Chinchilla, have avoided each other at previous SICA summits.  The last time Ortega was in San Jose was in May 2010, for Chinchilla’s inauguration.

So far only the president of Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina, has publicly confirmed his participation in the summit with Obama.

Castillo said that Costa Rica plans to discuss development cooperation and bilateral trade during the summit.  Castillo also said that the issue of security “is a priority in relation to drug trafficking, organized crime, and [natural] disasters.”

Castillo also indicated that Costa Rica would like to touch on the topic of immigration reform with Barack Obama.