Panama and Japan: Expanding Cooperation

Posted on 2018-09-05

The Vice President and Chancellor Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado received on Monday the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Masahisa Sato, in a meeting that confirmed the close relationship between Panama and this Asian country, which in the last four years has strengthened its commercial alliance and cooperation in development and infrastructure.

Accompanied by the Vice Chancellor, Luis Miguel Hincapié, the Panamanian Chancellor expressed her satisfaction for the recent agreement with Japanese companies, for the purchase of all the equipment and wagons of Metro Line 3, which will boost the Panamanian economy and generate hundreds of jobs, and It will allow the mobilization of more than 20 thousand people during peak hours, from Albrook to Ciudad del Futuro in Arraiján, passing through 14 stations along a 26.5 kilometer journey. This he recalled, is part of the agreements signed by Vice Chancellor Hincapié in the framework of the official visit of President Juan Carlos Varela to Japan, in 2016.

He also said that the relationship between the two countries passes through one of its best stages, and that as part of the Falcon Policy promoted by the administration of President Juan Carlos Varela, they will continue to explore new opportunities for cooperation in fiscal, commercial and humanitarian issues.
In order to continue expanding the bilateral relationship, Saint Malo de Alvarado extended an invitation to JICA, Japanese cooperation agency, to join the actors present at the Regional Logistics Center for Humanitarian Assistance (CLRAH) to have a closer relationship with the countries of the region and contribute their experience in natural disaster risk reduction, taking advantage of the logistics and air platform of the Republic of Panama.
They referred to the process of denuclearization of North Korea, a topic in which the Minister of Foreign Affairs reiterated that Panama supports the sanctions of the resolutions issued by the United Nations, in a serious and responsible manner.

Regarding the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy" promoted by Japan, the Panamanian delegation stated that it is consistent with the role of Panama in the search for peace, mutual respect, and the rule of law. The Japanese Vice Foreign Minister, accompanied by his Panamanian counterpart, Luis Miguel Hincapié, today began his official agenda in Panama with a tour of the Miraflores Locks, a seaway from which Japan is one of the main users.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs