Authorities from Panama and the new government of Colombia, chaired by Gustavo Petro Urrego, who took office this Sunday, addressed crucial issues for both countries and the region.
Issues such as migration, security, trade, investment and environmental protection were addressed during her visit to Colombia by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama, Erika Mouynes, and the designated new foreign minister of that country, Álvaro Leyva.
“Colombia is one of our main partners due to proximity and affinity. With Foreign Minister Leyva we reviewed the common agenda, which includes valuable components for economic reactivation. We also agreed on the strategic lines of the call that will be held next Tuesday by Presidents Laurentino Cortizo Cohen and Gustavo Petro,” said Mouynes after the meeting held a day before the inauguration of the Colombian president.
The Panamanian Foreign Minister warned about the increase in migrants crossing the Darién Gap, the border jungle between Panama and Colombia, since 76,700 people have crossed it so far this year, according to figures provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Panama.
He stated that for this reason, there is a need to “share information, review our policies, coordinate responses and honor our bilateral and multilateral commitments to avoid an unmanageable crisis,” Mouynes said.
Both officials also discussed trade and investment, and Mouynes emphasized the importance of “maintaining and improving” trade for economic recovery,
The meeting discussed a tentative program for the first meeting between the presidents of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo and Gustavo Petro, and a possible date for said meeting.
Minister Mouynes also met with the foreign ministers of the member countries of the Alliance for Development in Democracy, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Ecuador, to analyze the evolution of social and economic aspirations in the region.
The Vice President of the Republic, José Gabriel Carrizo, participated in the inauguration ceremony of President Gustavo Petro, who arrived on Sunday at 1:00 pm at El Dorado International Airport, in Bogotá, and was received with protocol honors by Ministry officials. of Foreign Relations of the South American country and the ambassador of Panama in Colombia, Liliana Fernández Puentes.
The official visit of Carrizo Jaén, who traveled in the company of the Minister of Labor and Labor Development, Doris Zapata, according to a statement from the State Communication Directorate, “reaffirms the fraternity between two neighboring nations.”
