Delighted to have you here. I was terrified when i heard we were going to be hosting a president of a country the last week of august. I thought who the hell is going to be here . Nobody comes the last week of august. Im so glad to see all of you here. This is a very important conversation today. Im very flattered we have this opportunity to host president chaves as he is wellknown in washington. He has been here so many years, but we welcome you back now as president. One of his inaugural gifts was a cyberattack. It clobbered costa rica and became a catastrophe in the making. This became an opportunity. Crises frequently become opportunities, and it became an opportunity for us to work more closely with a crucial ally. This is a crucial partner country. When we had a problem of this scale, we were honored to work with them, so were delighted to have you here, president. We had a good meeting yesterday with President Biden. I dont know if you will get a question or two to figure out what you said. That is up to everybody on the audience. Im going to mention the other colleagues that are part of this program. Im going to next introduce the deputy secretary, we have grown up together. 35 years ago when we first met. He has held up a lot better than i have. He has had a fabulous professional trajectory. Was our ambassador in india, and now, the deputy secretary for management. Its a big job. We need to get a bigger foreign service. With everything going on in the world, more diplomats is the cheapest way for defense. This is the conversation we will have another date. Nate fick is an old friend. We met, it was 10 years ago when we last saw each other unfortunately but that is when he became rich and went off to a california Venture Capital company, so now you can afford to be a Public Servant again. He is at the state department. He is the ambassadoratlarge for cyberspace and digital policy. Anne neuberger is one of the most influential people in washington these days. Everything she has spent her life learning at the nsa she now has to operate the country for. Anne, were delighted to have you here. This morning, were going to first here from the deputy secretary. Then chaves, nate fick will come up for a conversation with all of you. Lets bring the secretary over. Then these other three will come up. Give a warm applause to all three of them. [applause] good morning, everybody. John hamre , thank you for that generous introduction. We did meet about 35 years ago when i was working for the chairman of the defense appropriations subcommittee in the house of representatives. Every morning, he would say call hamre , we have a problem. John was the comptroller of the pentagon and were still calling him. You are an institution. Let me recognize anne neuberger, our Deputy National security advisor who was incredible. Our two ambassadors who are here. Ambassadors who are building the relationship between our two countries in such an incredible way. My colleague nate fick who is doing an incredible job leading our new bureau on Cyber Security and digital policy. Most of all, let me offer my sister tear sincere gratitude to the president for being here, our distinguished guest. Our extraordinary partner and a critical leader for costa rica and our hemisphere. It was an honor to join you in the meeting with President Biden yesterday in the oval office and to see the bond and friendship the two of you have an hour to countries have. Fidelity to democracy and human rights, our dedication to open society and markets, our commitment to innovation, and in our economies our cooperation across the board in so many areas. It was a terrific meeting. There is so much that defines the ties between the United States and costa rica. So much that touches on the Building Blocks of stability and security. Economic development. Public safety. Migration. And yes, cybersecurity. Let me touch briefly on these and i will speak quickly so you can hear from our group. Let me start with economics. Our trade relationship is deep and robust, covering over 17 billion in goods moving between our markets last year alone. The u. S. Accounts for nearly three quarters of Foreign Direct Investment heading into costa rica. And u. S. Companies have helped create nearly 130,000 jobs there. Meanwhile, exports from costa rica coming in our direction especially in medical devices and Semi Conductors are helping fuel our postcovid recovery. And those bonds are only growing, as we worked to secure regional and Global Supply chains, combat corruption, engage in the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity and collaborate even further in the technology space. But steady Economic Growth rests on the cornerstone of our Common Security and public safety. A taylor that week pillar that we reinforce every day. To give one exam will, costa rica is an energetic partner on in statedepartment led program which brings government and communities together to identify social risks, and prevent activities targeting the most vulnerable high crime areas in the country. This is part of an ongoing drive to approve Citizen Security in costa rica. That push is intensifying through our efforts to counter narcotic trafficking, to stop organized criminal networks from undermining the strong institutions that set costa rica part. And our deep cooperation on the fundamentals of a Healthy Society gives us the wherewithal to take on the toughest task before us today. Today, that includes irregular migration and displacement. The recordbreaking movement of people throughout our hemisphere, and how we better facilitate safe, orderly, and humane migration. And were grateful to the leadership of the president and because bruton government for standing up to the secure mobility office, a new initiative to create level pathways in the country. Let me give credit where credit is due. Costa rica has set the standard for leadership and supporting refugees, and ensuring their access to protection. Many embarking on a treacherous journey. Many fleeing persecution and fear. Finally, our countries are lockstep on the main topic of todays event. And the core focus of tomorrows generation. Cybersecurity. The intersection between democracy and the digital sphere. The explosion of the emerging technologies reshaping the way we communicate and learn, collaborate and lead, participate in our politics. And how we govern our people. The United States and costa rica appreciate the immense power of this space, but also the potential pitfalls, too. We know that sound and secure connectivity, a strong and growing advanced manufacturing sector, cyber, digital and tech talent and infrastructure, all key components of modern economies and a modern society. We see how costa rica has started to build out its 5g telecommunications service. An established itself as a regional hightech leader with, for exam, intels only Semi Conductor is simply operation in the americas. With thousands of jobs supported by amazon, bayer and Many Companies with a flourishing medical device manufacturing hub. We share an affirmative vision for the role of trusted and secure technology. Technology for good. Were cleareyed about the need for vigilance, Capacity Building related to incident response, for Critical Infrastructure protection and the development of the cyber workforce. For identifying trusted tech suppliers. Indeed even with so much hope and emerging innovations, we recognize the drawbacks. We recognize the rising risks and frequency of cyber attacks. The uncertainty surrounding technologies and platforms that are constantly developing, shifting, changing, evolving and our job as Public Officials is to do Everything Possible to ensure that the accelerating pace of digital progress expands pathways to innovation without escalating the possibilities of danger. That cyberspace remains an avenue to empower citizens and connect communities. Not incite violence, so division, or foment fear. But the Digital Ecosystem is a secure, resilient and rights respecting venue for pursuing our highest aspirations. And costa rica is already ahead of the curve on all of these issues. You are among our closest collaborators in a series of coalitions and initiatives designed to protect access. And to protect human rights. Were proud to stand with you, mr. President , and with costa ricas government in tackling the vast challenges that come with such giant leaps in cyber work and digital revolution. And so, doing this work is so critically important. Thats why we have delivered on a 25 million package to further build costa ricas digital defense capabilities in the face of malicious cyber activity, as well as partnering in so many other areas which i know the group will talk about today. So, doing this work and supporting cyber and digital resiliency within our countries and among our partners is an increasingly vital element of United States foreign assistance portfolio. These investments are critical to the security of our citizens, allies, partners. To the strengths of our economies and businesses, the enduring stability of the rulesbased International Order to a safe, open, reliable and interoperable internet that will remain an unquestionable facet of life for decades to come. Here is the bottom line. Cybersecurity, digital diplomacy, emerging technologies, just like economic development, regional security, migration and more, each hold a common thread. They all cross borders. They all impact the strength of our democracies. They all affect the lives of our people. And we cant address any of these challenges alone. In fact, we have no choice but to tackle them together. For friends like the United States and costa rica that comes naturally. That coordination will continue between our president s, our governments, and our communities. Thank you very much, thank you, john and mr. President. I hope you enjoyed todays conversation. [applause] fantastic. We all have to turn our microphones on. Pres. Robles hello. Good morning, everyone. Thank you very much for joining us, my name is nate fick, ambassadoratlarge for cyberspace and digital policy. Im pleased to share the stage this morning with my colleague and friend, our Deputy National security advisor, anne neuberger. And president chaves of costa rica, thank you so much for your generosity and time. Thanks for your leadership. Such a pleasure to be with you today. The pleasure is all mine, your excellency. Nate you are very kind. You are here in strength with an incredibly broad and diverse delegation from your government. I wonder if i might start just with hearing more on your goals for this visit to washington. Pres. Chaves thank you very much, madame neuberger, ambassador fick. John, thank you for the kind introduction. Mr. Verma, there was a wonderful summary of what i think is the reality were facing. As well as the common objectives of two countries very different in size, but with great common objectives and shared values. Let there be no doubt where this country stands in the world today. We are a small country but with a big voice. We think, precisely because of the things you said, more than 70 years ago there was a choice. Not defending our systems and information. All of todays information is an obligation. What are we trying to do today . Reaffirming historical, long relationship between what we call a big light on the horizon. Those famous words. We hold these truths to be selfevident. And we have seen how those values are being deteriorated. Are being eroded. The freedoms, even the openness to the world in our neighborhood. Costa rica is a great house in a neighborhood that has some complications. So, were very concerned about our security. We are concerned, obviously, as President Biden said they are the ones you this hard work in our country. And we took advantage of this kind invitation to come look at what are the common objectives that, as societies, we have in an increasingly complex world. How complex it is getting. So thats why were here. As mr. Verma said, i enjoyed the meeting tremendously, but only because of the substance of the meeting with President Biden. Not only because of the substance, but frankly, the connection that i was blessed to have with him yesterday. And its a connection based on what we want for our peoples. So, thats what were doing here. It is a rare opportunity for us to sit on a stage in a public setting to have a public conversation with a current head of state about a cyberattack. All of us would appreciate the opportunity to hear from your seat what it looks like. What it felt like. What you are thinking, doing, as you came into office and this attack was unfolding. Pres. Chaves i can tell you, it wasnt nice. [laughter] it wasnt pleasant. Not at all. I would like to give a little bit of context because there may be coincidences in life, but we say in costa rica think suspiciously, and you are likely to be right. When i was elected during the transition, and inaugurated as president elect, i believe i was the first one in latin america to say it actually, that russias invasion of ukraine was illegal. Was unacceptable, and frankly, i used the word criminal. I was taken to court by some post regions. Criminal court, costa rica ands. Costa ricans. They said i had violated the policy of neutrality. That would require a military and we have not got one. Brinkley, that was a frivolous action. Suddenly, very shortly after having been inaugurated, we were attacked. We were attacked affecting the backbone of the functioning of the state. Our tax system. Our customs systems. Electricity. Even our meteorological services. We didnt know if it was going to rain. They are never right anyway. [laughter] our ministry of transport. Our Health System was attacked. Thanks to the collaboration of partners like the United States, spain, we realized this was coming from russia. Coincidence . Possibly. Certainly, possibly probably from a group who had begun asking for ransom. We couldnt pay ransom. And we wouldnt pay ransom. But the effects were very important. Millions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of medical appointments. But here we are, reconstructed. It was at the beginning of the administration. But once burned, twice shy. I think you say that in this country, right . And we decided that the negligence of decades, obviously, everything is the fault of the previous administration. But decades of negligence protecting our information, our tax and Computer Systems had to come to an end. Thank you for helping us in doing that. Nate more than a year later, that help is organized and flowing, but i am the early days, anne, what did it look like from your seat in the white house as this attack was unfolding . Can you describe for us some of the initial support and how you think about ongoing support to allies like costa rica . Anne President Biden was deeply concerned when he heard about the attack, the timing, the extent of the impact on Critical Services in costa rica. The ability of costa ricans to make medical appointments to travel, etc. He directed us to ensure we were providing immediate relief. The Ambassador Team was a strong advocate. We had an fbi team on the ground within 24 hours at the governments request. We worked closely with your superb team and helped quickly recover. To your point, we looked together and said, what more is needed to ensure that costa rica can be a regional leader in cybersecurity as well . The support of 25 million from the state department to establish a Security Operations center. As well as more immediate nearterm virtual Security Operations center to provide hardware and software, the right cybersecurity monitoring. An additional 10 million from the department of defense to provide work on a Security Operations center for the ministry of public security. And ongoing support to really put in place the cybersecurity protections and regime needed as a first step for ensuring that those Critical Services are protected moving forward. And then, because of the link between cybersecurity and Digital Infrastructure, we started a conversation about your vision for 5g in costa rica. And how to ensure that that 5g was also secure in the proper way. Weve had an ongoing discussion regarding that to ensure that there are trusted providers available. We will talk more about that. The second part of our support is 300 million exit financing grant. As costa rica makes this transition to 5g, and he will describe that more, it can be with trusted providers to ensure that building upon the first stage of cybersecurity protection, the nations Core Foundation digital infra structure that everything r ides on, the economy and public security. The equity that every costa rican can access the internet and do Business Online is trusted and secure moving forward. Nate thank you for raising the 5g point. Our perspective has been that technology sits in ecosystems and risks are across ecosystems. We talk about security, we have to talk holistically not only about cybersecurity products in a for additional sense, but also cable and fiber and data centers. And wireless networks. President chaves, your government has made some very welcome and bold moves in this regard recently. Can you share with us your perspective right now on 5g security and what comes