India, Costa Rica hold talks to deepen bilateral ties and UPI cooperation
Synopsis
India's diplomatic push in Latin America took a concrete step forward in San Jose, with talks spanning UPI internationalisation, Quick Impact Projects, scholarship outreach, and multilateral alignment. The breadth of the agenda — from fintech to foreign policy — signals that India-Costa Rica ties are moving well beyond ceremonial diplomacy.
Key Takeaways
India's Charge d'Affaires Aakash Sharma held multiple diplomatic meetings in San Jose on 27 August .
Discussions with Costa Rica's Vice Minister of Finance covered Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) and India's 10-year UPI milestone .
Talks with the Vice Minister of Bilateral Affairs focused on multilateral cooperation and areas of shared interest.
Both sides reviewed India's scholarship programmes benefiting Costa Rican professionals and ways to expand awareness.
The first high-level Indian visit to Costa Rica occurred in March 2019 ; bilateral engagement has broadened steadily since.
India and Costa Rica on 27 August held a series of high-level diplomatic meetings in San Jose to explore ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation, covering multilateral engagement, financial technology, scholarship programmes, and Quick Impact Projects. The discussions signal fresh momentum in a relationship that has steadily broadened since the first high-level Indian visit to Costa Rica in March 2019.
Key Meetings and Agenda
India's Charge d'Affaires to Costa Rica, Aakash Sharma, met Costa Rica's Vice Minister of Bilateral Affairs and International Cooperation, Penaranda Zarate, to review ongoing cooperation across multilateral forums and identify areas of shared interest. A separate meeting with Alejandra Solano Cabalceta, Director of Foreign Policy at Costa Rica's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, focused on various multilateral fora where the two nations can align positions.
According to a statement released by the Indian Embassy in Panama, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, both sides expressed keen interest in further deepening India-Costa Rica engagement and identified convergence across several domains.
UPI Milestone and Quick Impact Projects
In a meeting with Costa Rica's Vice Minister of Finance, Victor Julio Carvajal Porras, discussions centred on the possibilities of implementing Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) in Costa Rica and the 10-year milestone of India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Sharma also briefed the Vice Minister on recent Cabinet decisions and key Government of India initiatives.
The Indian Embassy, in a post on X, noted: "The discussions focused on: Possibilities for implementing Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) in Costa Rica. The 10-year milestone of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in India." The UPI discussion is notable given India's active push to internationalise its digital payments infrastructure across emerging markets.
Scholarships and Capacity Building
On Tuesday, Sharma met Carolina Fernandez Alvarez, Head of the Scholarships Division at Costa Rica's Foreign Ministry. Both sides reviewed how Costa Rican professionals are benefiting from India's scholarship offerings and discussed ways to raise awareness of these capacity-building opportunities, according to the Embassy's post on X.
Background: India-Costa Rica Relations
India and Costa Rica share cordial bilateral relations, which have been gaining fresh momentum in recent years through growing commercial engagement. The first-ever high-level visit from India to Costa Rica took place in March 2019, when the Vice-President of India visited San Jose, opening new avenues of cooperation. Since then, engagement has broadened across multilateral, economic, scientific, and cultural domains, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The latest round of talks reflects India's broader diplomatic push in Latin America, where it is seeking to expand its footprint through development partnerships, digital cooperation, and people-to-people ties. How these discussions translate into concrete agreements will be watched closely by observers tracking India's global outreach strategy.
Point of View
It is actively seeding its digital payments architecture in new markets. Quick Impact Projects, meanwhile, are India's preferred tool for building soft-power credibility fast. The real question is whether these talks produce signed agreements or remain in the familiar holding pattern of 'expressed keen interest' — a phrase that has appeared in many India-LAC diplomatic readouts without follow-through.
NationPress
27 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did India and Costa Rica discuss in their August 2025 meetings?
The two sides discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation across multilateral forums, the possibility of implementing Quick Impact Projects in Costa Rica, India's 10-year UPI milestone, and scholarship programmes for Costa Rican professionals. The meetings were held in San Jose on 27 August.
What are Quick Impact Projects and why were they discussed with Costa Rica?
Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) are small-scale, fast-disbursing development initiatives used by India to build goodwill and deliver tangible benefits in partner countries. Their discussion with Costa Rica's Vice Minister of Finance signals India's interest in expanding its development cooperation footprint in Central America.
Why is UPI being discussed in India's diplomatic meetings abroad?
India has been actively promoting the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) internationally as part of its digital diplomacy. The 10-year milestone of UPI was highlighted in San Jose as a demonstration of India's fintech capabilities, with an implicit interest in exploring adoption or collaboration with Costa Rica.
What is the current state of India-Costa Rica relations?
India and Costa Rica share cordial bilateral relations that have gained fresh momentum since the first high-level Indian visit — by the Vice-President of India — to San Jose in March 2019. Engagement has since expanded across multilateral, economic, scientific, and cultural domains, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
Who represented India in the Costa Rica diplomatic meetings?
India was represented by Charge d'Affaires Aakash Sharma, who operates under the Indian Embassy accredited to Panama, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. He held meetings with Costa Rica's Vice Minister of Bilateral Affairs, the Director of Foreign Policy, the Vice Minister of Finance, and the Head of the Scholarships Division.
