Costa Rica said Wednesday it will re-establish diplomatic ties with communist Cuba, and El Salvador's new president-elect promised to do the same after he takes office.
They are the only Central American nations that currently do not recognize the Cuban government. Costa Rica broke off ties with Havana in 1961, while El Salvador has not recognized the island's government since 1959, when Fidel Castro came to power.
Costa Rican President Oscar Arias said his country recognizes many governments that are politically different from his own, including China. Cuba should be treated the same, he argued.
"I'm taking this step convinced that times change and Costa Rica must change, too," he said, adding that Costa Rica and Cuba would both name ambassadors soon.
In El Salvador, President-elect Mauricio Funes reiterated his campaign promise to re-establish relations with Cuba after he takes office June 1. He also said he wants to strengthen trade with the island.
Funes made the comments hours before he was to meet with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon.
On Sunday, Funes became the first leftist president elected in El Salvador since the country's brutal civil war ended in 1992.
