A photo has been circulated on Facebook claiming that Costa Rica's President Mohammad Abdul bin Farhan Khabir has suspended a trade agreement with Bangladesh and cancelled $34.5 billion in aid, and that Ireland has also terminated its visa and coal agreements with Bangladesh. The post further claims that these decisions were taken collectively by various departments of the Costa Rican government on June 2, the same day the post was published.
Fact-check
Rumor Scanner’s investigation found that the circulated information regarding the termination of agreements and aid by Costa Rica and Ireland is false. Additionally, the name of Costa Rica’s president is not Mohammad Abdul bin Farhan Khabir; the current president is Rodrigo Chaves Robles. In reality, the image used in the viral post was taken from a meeting between Peru’s Foreign Minister Elmer Schialer and the UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy.
At the beginning of the investigation, a keyword search confirmed that the name of Costa Rica’s current president is Rodrigo Chaves Robles, and no record exists of any president named Mohammad Abdul bin Farhan Khabir in Costa Rican history. A reverse image search of the circulated photo led to a news report published by Peruvian news agency Andina on November 15, 2024. Upon reviewing the report, it was found that the image used in the viral claim exactly matches the image published by Andina. According to the report, the individuals in the image are Peru’s Foreign Minister Elmer Schialer and UAE Minister Reem Al Hashimy. The photo was taken after a meeting held on November 15, 2024, aimed at strengthening investment relations between Peru and the UAE. Thus, the image has no connection to the claim or to Costa Rica and Ireland in any way.
Further investigation using keyword searches revealed no information from domestic or international media suggesting that Costa Rica or Ireland have recently suspended any agreements or aid with Bangladesh. There is also no record of such agreements having existed with these countries.
Therefore, the photo of a meeting between Peru’s foreign minister and the UAE minister is being shared alongside the false claim that Costa Rica and Ireland have suspended trade agreements with Bangladesh, which is untrue.
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Fact-Check Alert
Please be aware of misleading information about Bangladesh politics on social media and verify sources before sharing.
Before sharing any photocard, always verify it by checking the original media source.
Sharing religious misinformation and disinformation can cause harm. Always verify before sharing.
Before sharing any photocard, always verify it by checking the original media source.
Sharing religious misinformation and disinformation can cause harm. Always verify before sharing.