With an eye on the migration crisis, Blinken arrived in Panama and met with President Cortizo

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Panama on Tuesday to participate in a continental meeting on migration and fulfilling a bilateral agenda that includes a meeting with Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo.

Blinken arrived at the Panama Pacifico airport last noon, where he was met by the Panamanian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marta Gordon; the US Embassy's Chargé d'Affaires, Stewart Tuttle, and the Chief of Protocol, Diomedes Carles.

The Secretary of State immediately went to Palacio Las Garzas, the seat of government, to meet with President Cortizo, who led the welcome of the senior US official.

The two-day trip, the first of the head of US diplomacy to Latin America this year, comes weeks before President Joe Biden's government ends the pandemic restrictions that allowed migrants to be quickly expelled to Mexico.

Regional cooperation

Blinken will also meet with Panamanian Foreign Minister Erika Mouynes, as well as other leaders from around the hemisphere, who will participate in the regional meeting on migration and security, according to official information.

The US delegation led by Blinken “will deepen our ongoing efforts to improve bilateral and regional cooperation on irregular migration and forced displacement, and will lay the foundation for a successful Summit of the Americas in June” next June.

The Secretary of State “will also speak with civil society leaders about the challenge of corruption in the hemisphere,” the State Department reported.

The increasing entry into Panama of irregular migrants through the dangerous jungle of Darién, its border with Colombia, consolidates Central America as the route of thousands of people from around the world seeking the “American Dream” in the United States.

In this context, a continental meeting will be held this Tuesday in the Panamanian capital, focusing on irregular migration, which will conclude on Wednesday with the participation of high-level representatives from around twenty countries.

“Through this ministerial (meeting), we join nations across the hemisphere in support of the sustainable integration of refugees and other migrants, and in support of the communities that receive them; increased access to international protection for those in need; expanded legal pathways; and support for the humane management of migration,” said the State Department.

Alliance with Panama

The US government stated in a public statement released on Tuesday in Panama that this Central American country “continues to be a highly valued partner for the United States.”

The US, which has not had an ambassador to Panama since 2018 and has delegated diplomatic representation to the Chargé d'Affaires, is Panama's main trading partner and the first user of the interoceanic canal.

“Our governments work together to promote common goals for our peoples and for the region. This includes collaborating on regional security, strengthening democratic institutions and promoting inclusive economic growth, especially in the wake of the pandemic.”

The United States is “Panama's largest direct investor. We have more than $13 billion in bilateral trade in goods and services, and we are the main beneficiary of the Panama Canal, with 72% of all transit” through this route, he highlighted among others.

On Tuesday, Panama's Minister of Public Security, Juan Pino, and US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas met to “share ideas and see how to improve security” at Panamanian borders, which are crossed every year by thousands of irregular migrants from all over the world who are traveling to North America in search of a better future.

Mouynes said on April 3, announcing Blinken's visit, that it demonstrated the “strengthening” of the bilateral relationship.

(With information from EFE)

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