Mulino visits Ecuador to discuss security, trade and investment with Noboa

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino arrived in Guayaquil on Friday, Sept. 4, for a meeting with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa at the Simón Bolívar Air Base.

Their agenda included trade and investment, as well as security cooperation and the exchange of information to confront international crime. Mulino said Panama wanted to help its neighbors respond to Ecuador’s difficult security situation.

“Everyone knows the difficult situation Ecuador is facing and the effort we are making. Whatever Panama can do to collaborate with our neighbors, we will do. We face a latent threat that is growing more intense. We have to join forces,” Mulino said.

The one-day visit included Panama’s first lady, Maricel de Mulino, Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha, Trade and Industries Minister Julio Moltó, and Jorge Vallarino, representing the Panama Canal Authority. Panama’s ambassador to Ecuador, Alfredo Montaner, also joined the delegation.

Separately, representatives of the two governments were due to sign the terms of reference for a Partial Economic Complementarity Agreement. The document will establish the political and technical framework for bilateral trade negotiations under the Latin American Integration Association and the 1980 Montevideo Treaty, in line with World Trade Organization obligations. Ecuadorian minister Sahira Moya and Panamanian minister Julio Moltó were to sign it in Guayas.

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Everyone knows the difficult situation Ecuador is facing and the effort we are making. Whatever Panama can do to collaborate with our neighbors, we will do. We face a latent threat that is growing more intense. We have to join forces.