Today the Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Jean-Pierre Mazery, met with the President of the Republic of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla Miranda, in Rome.

President Chinchilla was accompanied by the Foreign Secretary, Jose Enrique Castillo Barrantes, the Minister for Communications, Carlos Roverssi, and the Costa Rican Ambassador to the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fernando Felipe Sanchez Campos. The focal point of the talks was Order’s profitable cooperation with their country.

The Order of Malta’s projects in the Central American state mainly involve providing assistance to children and the needy, as well as the support of healthcare facilities such as the ”Hospital de los Niños” which specialises in complex diseases and is set to become a Centre of Medical Science.

During the meeting, conducted in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, the group also discussed the local situation in Costa Rica and in particular their relations with Nicaragua following the territorial dispute between the two countries.

Bilateral diplomatic relations between the Republic of Costa Rica and the Sovereign Order of Malta were established in 1957.