The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, received this Tuesday at the Palace of the Herons the head of the United States Southern Command, General Francis L. Donovan, with whom he agreed that the fight against cartels, terrorism, and organized crime should not be limited to a bilateral effort, but should be part of a strategy that includes the countries of the continent. These topics, as well as the protection of ports, supply chains, and ensuring a climate of peace, order, and prosperity in the hemisphere, were discussed during a meeting that included ministers of state, the ambassador of the United States in Panama, Kevin Marino Cabrera, and the high command of the Southern Command. Both General Donovan and Ambassador Cabrera stated that Panama is their best partner in the Central America and Caribbean region, and that in Washington, President Mulino is recognized as an ally in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal migration. The head of the Southern Command also expressed interest in strengthening security initiatives in the continent that arise from the multilateral strategy “Shield of the Americas”. In this sense, the parties agreed that the upcoming Panamax security exercises, in which about 20 countries will participate, will be an ideal scenario to promote in other governments the idea of strengthening cooperation against the scourge of cartels, terrorist organizations, and criminal groups dedicated to human trafficking. In the opinion of General Donovan, Panama will be key to carrying forward that strategy. The United States also showed interest in promoting the exchange of strategic information on maritime security and on the detection of illegal operations by cartels and organized crime organizations. In this sense, President Mulino proposed the possibility of resuming the plan for monitoring the coasts of Panama through radars, which was operational until 2014 with great success but was discarded by the administrations that followed. At the local level, the President stated that the judicial system must be strengthened in order to help prosecutors bring criminals and drug traffickers to justice. He also stated that it is necessary to establish in Panama a law that sets the framework for transnational criminal organizations and criminals to not be able to resort to cryptocurrencies to hide and move dirty money. At the meeting, accompanying President Mulino were the Chancellor of the Republic, Javier Martínez Acha; the Minister of Canal Affairs, José Ramón Icaza; Frank Ábrego, Minister of Public Security; Larry Solís, director of SENAFRONT; and Luis De Gracia, director of SENAN.
