The Diplomat
The State Secretary for Ibero-America, the Caribbean and Spanish in the World, Juan Fernández Trigo, traveled this week to Panama and Costa Rica, where he held meetings of the Political Consultation Mechanism with both Central American countries.
On the one hand, the State Secretary chaired on Tuesday the first meeting of the Mechanism of Political Consultations between Spain and Panama together with the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vladimir Franco Sousa, and the Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs and Cooperation, Yill Otero. According to the Panamanian Foreign Ministry, the objective of the meeting was “to deepen the exchange and cooperation in areas of common bilateral and bi-regional interest”.
Likewise, “in a positive balance of the historical relations between Panama and Spain, the value of the educational, cultural, scientific and technical cooperation and the investment of Spanish companies in Panama was highlighted”, it added. For his part, Fernández Trigo declared via Twitter that the meeting was “a faithful reflection of the very positive bilateral relations and the mutual interest in continuing to deepen them.”
The State Secretary was also received by the Panamanian Foreign Minister, Janaina Tewaney Mencomo, and participated in the inauguration of the International Forum on Democracy and Freedom of Expression, organized by the Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the support of Casa de America and the EU Delegation in this country. “The full development of free societies requires a diverse and pluralistic media space in which the media can subject elected officials to public scrutiny with full freedom of expression,” said Fernández Trigo.
Subsequently, the State Secretary traveled to San José to preside, on Thursday, the meeting of the Political Consultation Mechanism between Costa Rica and Spain together with the Vice Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Lydia Peralta and Christian Guillermet. “The meeting has been a reflection of the relevance that Spain attaches to its bilateral relations with Costa Rica and the mutual will to continue deepening in areas of common interest such as economic and commercial, cultural, educational and social, among others,” he said. Fernández Trigo was accompanied by the Spanish Ambassador, Eva Martínez.
During the meeting, according to the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry, “a wide range of topics” were discussed, such as the state of cultural, political and commercial relations, consular issues, cooperation, the exploration of new mechanisms and the presence of Spanish companies in the country. Both parties also discussed Spain’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union, migration, the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit, the integration of Central America and the Alliance for the Development of Democracy (ADD), of which Costa Rica is a member.
In addition, Fernández Trigo held a meeting with Panama’s Foreign Minister, Arnoldo André. “Spain values Costa Rica for its consolidated and stable democracy, being a natural partner on the international scene”, declared the State Secretary, who also inaugurated the double exhibition The Dinners of Gala and The Whimsical Dreams of Pantagruel, by Spanish artist Salvador Dalí, “a singular sample of his most dreamy and oneiric surrealism, which I am sure will not leave the public indifferent”.
