Former Costa President Rica Oscar Arias says his US visa has been canceled.
Arias, Nobel Laureate, said he had been informed of the decision weeks after publicly criticizing Donald Trump, comparing the US president's behavior to that of a Roman emperor.
The 84-year-old, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in fighting conflicts in Central America, said the US authorities had not given explanations.
However, Arias hinted that this could be due to his convergence with China at the time he was president from 2006 to 2010.
In a press conference in the capital of Costa Rica, San Jose, Arias said there was no “idea” what the reason for the cancellation was.
He said he had received a “short email” from several lines from the US government, which informed him of the decision.
He added that he believed that it was not President Trump, but the US State Department of State made the decision.
As he said he would be assumed to speculate on the cause of the visa, he said that “I have established diplomatic relations with China.
“This, of course, is known worldwide,” he told reporters about his 2007 decision to reduce his ties with Taiwan and to establish them with China instead.
The Trump administration tried to oppose China's influence in the Western Hemisphere and accused a number of governments in Central America for gathering the Chinese government and Chinese companies.
However, this supports the current Costa President Rica Rika Rodrigo Chavez, praising his decision to exclude Chinese companies to participate in the development of 5G in Costa Rica.
But this adopted closeness between President Chavez and the United States was criticized by Arias, who wrote a social media publication in February, saying that “it was never easy for a small country to disagree with the US government, less when its president behaves as a Roman emperor, telling the rest of the world what to do.”
He added that “During my governments, Costa Rica never received orders from Washington, as if we were a banana republic.”
Arias is not the only Costa Rica to cancel his visa in the United States. Three members of the country's National Assembly, who opposed President Chavez's decree to exclude Chinese companies from participating in the development of 5G, also canceled.