Relationship dossier
Costa Rica
Panama
Relationship assessment
Practical neighborly cooperation, alongside recurring trade friction
Costa Rica toward Panama
+40Costa Rica has worked with Panama through bilateral arrangements to manage their shared border and facilitate cross-border movement. Costa Rica has also challenged Panamanian restrictions affecting imports of Costa Rican agricultural products.
Panama toward Costa Rica
+40Panama has participated in bilateral arrangements with Costa Rica to manage their shared border and cross-border movement. Panamanian restrictions affecting imports of Costa Rican agricultural products have at times strained trade relations.
Overall relationship
+45A settled boundary and practical cooperation on cross-border affairs provide a durable basis for bilateral ties. Periodic trade restrictions and disputes over agricultural imports have created friction, but have not displaced the broader pattern of working relations.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Costa Rica and Panama maintain a practical bilateral relationship shaped by a settled land boundary and cooperation on cross-border affairs. Their governments have also faced periodic trade disputes, including restrictions affecting agricultural imports. These frictions coexist with ongoing efforts to manage their shared border and facilitate movement and commerce.
Areas of tension
- Trade restrictions and import permits affecting Costa Rican agricultural products in Panama.
Key developments
Costa Rica and Panama signed the Echandi-Fernández Treaty, defining their land boundary.
Trade restrictions affecting Costa Rican agricultural exports became a source of bilateral friction.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of current bilateral border-management and security arrangements are unclear.
- The frequency and status of trade restrictions affecting bilateral commerce are uncertain.