President José Raúl Mulino kicked off his agenda in Davos, Switzerland, with a day packed with high-level meetings at the World Economic Forum. First, he met with Guy Parmelin, the President of Switzerland. Mulino brought up Panama’s entry into Mercosur and how the country is positioning itself as a logistics platform for the Swiss pharmaceutical industry to reach South America. Parmelin showed interest in the Panamanian merchant marine, the largest in the world, and in the interoceanic canal. In both meetings, Mulino was accompanied by ministers Felipe Chapman (Economy and Finance), José Ramón Icaza (Canal), Julio Moltó (Commerce and Industries) and Kristelle Getzler, Secretary of Economic Affairs and Competitiveness. Bilateral trade came up in the conversation: Panama primarily exports coffee to Switzerland, while Switzerland imports pharmaceuticals, watches, optical devices, and alcoholic beverages. Afterward, Mulino met with Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of Singapore. The discussion was straightforward: more investment in aviation, technology, energy, and logistics, leveraging Panama’s platform to enter the Latin American market. Mulino took the opportunity to invite the Asian nation to join the Panama Canal Neutrality Treaty, thereby strengthening the security of global trade. They also discussed the new Panamanian embassy in Bern and Panama’s request for Switzerland to join the Canal Neutrality Treaty, a move that would strengthen the security and stability of global trade. The objective: to open doors to investments and business opportunities aimed directly at Panama. Panama is seeking Singapore as a strategic partner in technological innovation. Switzerland is the third-largest investor in Panama, with $5.5 billion invested in trade, banking, and industry. The meeting strengthened relations between the two countries. Mulino took the opportunity to highlight ongoing projects: the Río Indio reservoir, two megaports, and a gas pipeline. Singapore showed interest in resuming aviation operations in the country and in the megaports that are being planned. The topic of semiconductors was also discussed.
