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Panama's Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha Vasquez on Monday hailed India as "already a superpower" and called for elevating bilateral ties into a long-term strategic partnership, while pitching Panama as India's gateway to Latin America for trade, investment and global supply chains.
Speaking during delegation-level talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi, Vasquez said it was a privilege to visit India at a time when the country is playing an increasingly important role in shaping the global order. "Minister, my friend, it is a privilege to be here in New Delhi at a moment when India is helping shape the international order of the 21st century," he said. "Some experts consider India an emerging superpower. You are already a superpower. Panama sees India not simply as a major economy, but as a civilizational power whose global voice continues to grow in importance. Your country's remarkable transformation has inspired many nations, including mine, to think more ambitiously about our own future," Vasquez added. Calling for a stronger bilateral relationship, the Panamanian Foreign Minister said his country wanted to move beyond the traditional friendship shared by the two nations. "Panama has not come merely here to strengthen a friendship that has flourished for more than six decades. We have come to build a strategic partnership for the decades ahead," he said. Highlighting Panama's strategic location and connectivity, Vasquez said the country could play a key role in India's engagement with Latin America. "We may be a small country geographically, but we have always believed that our value is measured by the connections we create, not by the size of our territory. Just as India connects ideas, Panama connects markets. The Panama Canal is more than an engineering achievement. It is a platform for trusted global commerce," he said. He said Panama should be viewed as "a strategic extension" of India's international economic outreach. "We would like India to see Panama as a strategic extension of its international economic outreach. Panama is, as you mentioned, India's main gateway to Latin America and to Central America," he said. Vasquez also stressed that the two democracies shared common values rooted in openness, international law and economic opportunity. "As two vibrant democracies committed to openness, international law, and economic opportunity, our countries have much more in common than the distance between us might suggest. We believe democracies have a unique responsibility to demonstrate that openness, innovation, and cooperation remain the best path to prosperity," he said. Seeking greater economic engagement, the Panamanian Foreign Minister proposed the establishment of a high-level trade and investment working group to facilitate investment flows between the two countries. "We have a legal architecture to promote the attraction of investment. We would like to see Indian multinational companies in Panama. So, I would like to establish the foundation for getting results, so we could study the possibility of establishing a high-level trade and investment working group between your country and mine," he said. He also identified pharmaceuticals, medical services, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, data centres, advanced manufacturing and regional distribution centres as potential areas for collaboration. "Panama is the ideal regional platform for Indian companies seeking to expand across Latin America. We could work with you in pharmaceuticals, medical services, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, data centres, advanced manufacturing, and regional distribution centres. India manufactures for the world; Panama connects the world," Vasquez said. (ANI)
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