RADIO PANAMA Editorial Office
This Wednesday, November 9, the second trilateral technical meeting culminated, of the directors of Migration of Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama, where they requested that a meeting be arranged with international organizations that have to do with the problem of irregular migration, before the first week of December.
This meeting will be managed by the United States, so that there is an adequate channeling of the funds that these international organizations must allocate in support of Panama, mainly, which requires urgent help to be able to continue dealing with the situation.
The director of the National Migration Service (SNM), Samira Gozaine, reiterated the commitment between the three countries to work to discourage irregular migration, and mainly, the unprecedented north-south flow.
“It was a productive meeting. Together, we can find solutions to a problem that is not just our three countries; It is a multidimensional issue of great proportions, which needs to be addressed in the same way, “said Gozaine.
The director of the SNM insisted to her peers from Colombia and Costa Rica that the Darién jungle “is not a migratory route,” and that in this way, it must be made known to prevent new migrants from trying to cross it to reach North America.
For her part, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs of the United States Department of State, Emily Mendrala, indicated that the meeting will be arranged with organizations such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and others involved in the migration issue. , in search of
During the meeting held in virtual mode from the headquarters of the Panamanian Foreign Ministry, the director of Migration of Costa Rica, Marlen Luna Alfaro, supported the Panamanian position, and acknowledged that it is being “very difficult” to control the north-south migratory flow. passing to our country.
“Like Panama, we believe that we must discourage the interest of people who want to migrate to North America, passing through Darién and arriving in Costa Rica,” explained Luna Alfaro, who even spoke of “tightening Costa Rican immigration policies, as a way to stop the flow of irregular migrants through their territory.
In turn, the Colombian ambassador in Panama, Mauricio Baquero Pardo, proposed adopting joint actions between the three countries, taking advantage of the fact that in the month of December there is a low migratory flow and it is possible to establish some controls.
