Mulino and Noboa agree to extend Panama-Colombia power interconnection project to Ecuador

Panama and Ecuador have agreed to extend a regional electricity interconnection project to Ecuador, adding a new dimension to ties between the two countries.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa reached the agreement during a bilateral meeting in Guayaquil. They said the project would build on Panama’s electricity-generation potential. Colombian President Abelardo De la Espriella joined the meeting by phone and reaffirmed his support.

The presidents also discussed expanding bilateral markets through official negotiations for a partial-scope agreement. They said the agreement could diversify trade, create new market opportunities for productive sectors and strengthen complementary economic integration.

Security cooperation formed another part of the meeting. Mulino and Noboa emphasized the importance of coordinated bilateral and regional efforts against transnational organized crime, particularly networks and activities linked to drug trafficking. They also welcomed progress on commitments made at the August 2026 high-level meeting of the Coalition Against the Cartels of the Americas, held in Panama during the Americas Shield Summit.

Noboa thanked Mulino for signing Executive Decree No. 16 on Aug. 31, 2026, which formally added Ecuador to Panama’s regime of friendly countries. The two leaders also agreed to promote orderly, regular and safe human mobility, with cooperation to be strengthened through an interinstitutional agreement on migration-information exchange.