Costa Rica and Azerbaijan Seek Stronger Diplomatic and Parliamentary Ties

SAN JOSÉ, COSTA RICA — Azerbaijan’s new ambassador has opened talks with Costa Rican government and legislative officials as both countries explore closer political and parliamentary cooperation.

Costa Rica and Azerbaijan are seeking to give new momentum to a diplomatic relationship approaching its 30th anniversary, with Azerbaijan’s newly appointed ambassador holding meetings in San José with senior foreign-policy and legislative officials.

Ambassador Seymur Fataliyev met José Miguel Villalobos, chairman of the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly’s International Relations and Foreign Trade Commission, for discussions focused on strengthening ties between the two countries’ legislatures and expanding parliamentary diplomacy, according to Azerbaijan’s diplomatic mission.

Fataliyev also met Alexander Peñaranda Zárate, Costa Rica’s vice minister for bilateral affairs and international cooperation. The two officials exchanged views on prospects for developing bilateral relations and issues currently on the diplomatic agenda, the Azerbaijani mission said.

Costa Rica’s Foreign Ministry independently confirms Peñaranda’s role as vice minister for bilateral affairs and international cooperation, a post responsible for the country’s bilateral diplomatic relationships and cooperation agenda.

The meetings do not amount to a treaty, investment commitment or new binding agreement. Their immediate significance lies instead in the effort to reactivate political contacts and broaden a relationship that has existed formally since 1997 but has remained relatively low-profile within Costa Rica’s wider foreign policy.

Fataliyev begins his mission in Costa Rica

The latest meetings came as Fataliyev formally began his diplomatic assignment.

Costa Rica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on August 20 that the career diplomat presented copies of his credentials to Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar Rivera. The ministry described Fataliyev as a diplomat with more than 30 years of experience in foreign service, international cooperation, multilateral affairs and cultural diplomacy.

Azerbaijan’s official embassy listing identifies Fataliyev as ambassador based in Mexico, reflecting a concurrent accreditation arrangement rather than a resident Azerbaijani embassy in San José. Costa Rica’s own diplomatic directory also lists him as a concurrent ambassador.

Azerbaijani reporting said President Laura Fernández subsequently received Fataliyev’s credentials and that the ambassador conveyed greetings from President Ilham Aliyev. According to the diplomatic mission’s account, Fernández expressed interest in continuing efforts to strengthen relations between the two countries during her administration.

Costa Rica’s official presidential website confirms Fernández is serving as president for the 2026–2030 term.

The credential ceremony is an important formal step because it establishes Fataliyev as Azerbaijan’s recognized diplomatic representative to Costa Rica, while the subsequent meetings indicate the areas in which Baku is seeking to expand engagement.

Parliamentary diplomacy returns to the agenda

The meeting with Villalobos revives an idea that has appeared before in the bilateral relationship.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry records show that during Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel González Sanz’s 2015 visit to Baku, Azerbaijani officials explicitly raised parliamentary diplomacy and suggested that inter-parliamentary friendship groups could be mutually beneficial.

The latest discussion therefore represents continuity rather than an entirely new diplomatic concept.

What remains unclear is whether the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly and Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis will now establish a formal friendship group, organize reciprocal legislative visits or develop a structured parliamentary cooperation mechanism.

No such arrangement was announced in the statements reviewed for this article.

That distinction matters because parliamentary diplomacy can range from informal meetings and friendship groups to sustained cooperation through legislative committees and international parliamentary organizations. The latest talks confirm political interest but not yet an institutional mechanism.

Relationship dates back to 1997

Costa Rica and Azerbaijan established diplomatic relations on January 15, 1997, according to Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry.

Relations became more active during the following two decades.

The two governments established a mechanism for political consultations through a memorandum signed in New York in 2002. Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel González Sanz made an official visit to Azerbaijan in October 2015, while Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov visited Costa Rica in June 2017. González returned to Azerbaijan later that month and made additional working visits in 2017 and 2018.

During the 2017 talks in San José, both governments identified economic cooperation, trade, tourism, energy, logistics, maritime activity and investment as potential areas for closer relations. They also stressed political consultations and diplomatic representation.

Costa Rica opened an embassy in Baku during that period, describing Azerbaijan as a potential strategic partner in its region and citing opportunities for trade and investment.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry currently says three bilateral documents have been signed between the two countries, while Azerbaijan’s diplomatic representation for Costa Rica is handled through its embassy in Mexico.

Economic relationship remains modest

The diplomatic relationship has historically been more developed politically than commercially.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry reports that bilateral trade turnover amounted to about $1.7 million in 2020, all recorded as Azerbaijani imports from Costa Rica and with no Azerbaijani exports registered in that dataset.

That figure is dated and should not be treated as a current trade estimate, but it illustrates the relatively limited economic scale of the relationship compared with Costa Rica’s ties to larger partners in North America, Europe and Asia.

Earlier bilateral discussions nevertheless identified several possible fields for expansion, including tourism, investment, logistics, energy and commercial exchange.

Whether the current diplomatic push leads back to those areas remains to be seen.

For now, neither side has announced a trade package, investment agreement or specific cooperation project connected to Fataliyev’s meetings.

Azerbaijan’s regional diplomacy also enters the conversation

Fataliyev’s credential meeting with Fernández also included discussion of Azerbaijan’s regional position and the peace process with Armenia, according to Azerbaijan’s diplomatic mission.

That subject has a direct connection to Costa Rican foreign policy.

In August 2025, Costa Rica’s Foreign Ministry publicly welcomed the joint declaration between Armenia and Azerbaijan signed in Washington and described it as a step toward lasting peace, while calling for implementation of the agreements reached.

The inclusion of the issue in Fataliyev’s first presidential meeting therefore reflects an existing Costa Rican diplomatic position rather than a newly announced policy.

For Azerbaijan, the broader diplomatic agenda appears aimed at combining that political dialogue with practical bilateral cooperation and parliamentary engagement.

For Costa Rica, the meetings offer an opportunity to maintain relations with a South Caucasus state with which it has had nearly three decades of formal ties but comparatively limited day-to-day political visibility.

The next test will be whether the current round of meetings produces tangible follow-up — such as parliamentary exchanges, renewed political consultations, commercial initiatives or new cooperation agreements — rather than remaining primarily ceremonial diplomacy.