Eduardo González
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, will receive today in Madrid his new counterpart from Panama, Javier Martínez Acha, who is visiting Spain just two weeks after taking office following the inauguration of the new president, José Raúl Mulino.
One of the main objectives of Martínez Acha's visit to Spain, according to the Panamanian Foreign Ministry, is to “attract investments” to Panama. This includes meetings with various authorities, insurance and energy companies and the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE).
In fact, the visit includes the chancellor's participation in the Panama-Spain business forum, organized by the CEOE, the Ministry of Economy, Commerce and Business, ICEX, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and the Government of Panama itself and which will be held today at the headquarters of the Confederation in Madrid.
According to the agenda, the forum will feature interventions by Íñigo Fernández de Mesa, vice president of CEOE; Inmaculada Riera, general director of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce; Alicia Varela, general director of International Trade and Investments of the Ministry of Economy, Commerce and Business; the ambassador of Spain in Panama, Guzmán Palacios; the ambassador of Panama in Spain, Ithzel Patiño Villareal; and Martínez Acha himself, with whom the event will conclude.
After this business meeting, Martínez Acha will be received by Albares at the ministerial headquarters of the Viana Palace. The two ministers already held a first meeting on July 1 in Panama City, on the occasion of the presence of King Felipe VI at the inauguration of the new president.
In that first meeting, Albares and Martínez Acha agreed to “work together in this new stage to continue deepening Spain-Panama relations and our cooperation in the Ibero-American Community,” as declared by the Spanish minister through the X network.
In statements to the Efe agency, Martínez Acha recalled after the meeting with Albares that “Spain is the fifth or sixth investor in Panama” and highlighted that the Spanish Government has “supported a lot” to his country in “the fight to get off the lists” of tax havens, in which “we do not deserve to be.” “I am sure that with the arrival of President Mulino and with President (Pedro) Sánchez, great things are going to happen between Panama and Spain,” he added.
After his visit to Spain, the Panamanian Foreign Minister will travel to Washington tomorrow, Tuesday, together with Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Ruiz-Hernández, to participate in the meeting of leaders of the countries of the Alliance of the Americas for Economic Prosperity (APEP). ), a regional initiative promoted by United States President Joe Biden to address economic inequality, foster regional economic integration, restore faith in democracy, and help the working class throughout the region.
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