President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and President José Raúl Mulino strengthen the strategic partnership between both countries
The President of the United Mexican States, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, received the President of the Republic of Panama, José Raúl Mulino Quintero, at the National Palace during his official visit to Mexico. The two leaders reaffirmed the historic ties of friendship between their countries and their commitment to strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership for sustainable development, regional integration, and the well-being of their people.
The leaders highlighted the complementary nature of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and the Panama Canal as strategic platforms for strengthening logistics connectivity, international trade, and global supply chains. They agreed to expand cooperation in transportation, infrastructure, and connectivity, including the exchange of experiences in rail transport.
Both leaders reaffirmed the validity of the permanent neutrality regime of the Panama Canal, in accordance with the Treaty concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal of 1977, as well as Panama’s full sovereignty over that interoceanic waterway.
President Sheinbaum and President Mulino agreed to promote better utilization of the Free Trade Agreement between Mexico and Panama—eleven years after its entry into force—to increase trade, encourage investment, and strengthen the complementarities between the two economies. They also highlighted the progress made toward the signing of the Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters.
Regarding technical and institutional cooperation, the leaders acknowledged the progress made in cooperation to prevent, control, and eradicate the cattle screwworm and instructed their governments to strengthen the exchange of technical information and institutional coordination. They also endorsed the commitment of the ministries responsible for science, technology, and innovation policy in both countries to strengthen joint research, knowledge transfer, and capacity building. Furthermore, they expressed their willingness to move toward signing a Memorandum of Understanding on transparency and access to public information, aimed at strengthening institutional cooperation and the exchange of best practices.
President Sheinbaum acknowledged Panama’s hosting of the commemorative activities for the Bicentennial of the Amphictyonic Congress of 1826, a landmark event in Latin American unity convened by the Liberator Simón Bolívar. As part of the commemoration, a presidential summit, the 56th regular session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States, and the 31st Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Association of Caribbean States were held in Panama last month. Both leaders agreed to promote a Latin American and Caribbean agenda focused on cooperation, socio-economic development, and integration, particularly within the framework of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
To follow up on the commitments made, they instructed their foreign ministers to hold, as soon as possible, the Meeting of the Council of the Mexico-Panama Strategic Partnership Agreement.
Finally, President Claudia Sheinbaum and President José Raúl Mulino reiterated their commitment to continue deepening the bilateral relationship through political dialogue, cooperation, and a partnership aimed at generating greater opportunities for development, prosperity, and integration for Mexico, Panama, and the region.
: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico