Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves announced the decision to sever relations with Cuba Wednesday from the presidential palace alongside U.S. Ambassador Melinda Hildebrand. File Photo by Jeffrey Arguedas/EPA
March 19 (UPI) -- Costa Rica has formally severed diplomatic relations with Cuba, marking a sharp escalation in regional tensions and following a similar move earlier this month by Ecuador.
President Rodrigo Chaves announced the decision Wednesday from the presidential palace alongside U.S. Ambassador Melinda Hildebrand. He said the move was based on ideological principles and human rights concerns.
Chaves said his administration does not recognize the legitimacy of what he called the island's "communist regime," according to Costa Rican newspaper El Mundo.
"We must rid the hemisphere of communists," Chaves said, arguing that Cuba's political system has failed and produced "mistreatment, repression and undignified conditions" for its people.
