Costa Rica celebrates 67 years without a military

Jose “Pepe” Figueres abolished the army on Dec 1st, 1948 (Archive)

SAN JOSE, December 2nd, 2015 (EFE) Costa Rica commemorated with an official ceremony Tuesday the dissolution of its army and hailed the nation’s culture of peace.

The event, held at the National Museum, was presided over by President Luis Guillermo Solis, who in his speech noted the historic importance of eliminating the army.

“The abolition of our army reflects belief in the concept of peace, which today we commemorate and would pass on to the whole world. Costa Rica was founded with a commitment to dialogue within a culture of peace,” the president said.

Solis noted that since the three-time head of state Jose Figueres Ferrer (1906-1990) took the decision to dissolve the army, Costa Rica has “exchanged soldiers for students,” and today “harvests knowledge and proceeds along the path of peace.”

Along with officials, the celebration included students and veterans of the 1948 civil war, Costa Rica’s last armed conflict.

Solis also awarded the Medal of Merit to renowned intellectual Rodrigo Madrigal Montealegre, honored for a lifetime defending freedom of speech and democratic values.

For his part, Foreign Minister Manuel Gonzalez said in a communique that the abolition of the army means that Costa Rica coincides with international law about what the use of force to settle conflicts is worth.

“This fundamental decision has forged generations of Costa Ricans who have never seen a tank or a warplane in our territory, and whose expectations as Costa Ricans will never include carrying an assault rifle to die on a battlefield,” he said.

Figueres Ferrer abolished the army on Dec. 1, 1948, after the civil war, in defense of the honesty of the vote, and since then Costa Rica has been able to use more of its economic resources for education, healthcare and social work.

Security in this country of 4.7 million inhabitants is the responsibility of a police force some 14,000 officers strong.