Former Costa Rican president calls on Mukherjee

Former Costa Rican president Oscar Arias Sanchez Thursday called on President Pranab Mukherjee, who said the relations between the two countries are characterised by "warmth and friendship", a statement said.

Sanchez, a Nobel Peace Prize winner called on the president at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

"The contribution of Sanchez to global peace is well recognised. He has also done commendable work in the transformation of Costa Rica into a model economy. Costa Rica is an example of a peace loving country with environment friendly policies," Mukherjee said.

He expressed hope that Sanchez would take back not only memories of his stay in India, but also the friendship message to the Latin American and Caribbean region, the statement said.

Expressing admiration for India's achievements, Sanchez said the Indian paradigm should be emulated by other developing countries, especially those in Latin America.