The presidents of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, and Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves, met in San José and agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation in trade, agriculture, migration, logistics, tourism, and security to improve the quality of life for their peoples.
The delegation accompanying President Mulino includes the Ministers of Foreign Affairs Javier Martínez-Acha, Trade and Industries Julio Moltó, and Agricultural Development Roberto Linares; the Ambassador of Panama in Costa Rica, Pacífico Escalona; the Executive Secretary for Economic Affairs and Competitiveness of the Ministry of the Presidency, Kristelle Getzler; and Grettel Escobar de Escalona, wife of the Panamanian ambassador in Costa Rica.
Chaves recalled that during his official visit to Panama in August 2024, he found in President Mulino "a statesman who understands that friendship between nations is not written in documents, but in the genuine will to act and move forward together".
Following the private meeting of both leaders, the government of Costa Rica granted the highest honors to President Mulino by decorating him with the Order of Juan Mora Fernández, in the Degree of Grand Cross with Gold Plaque.
These conclusions were reached after an official visit by President Mulino to the sister Central American country, where he held a private meeting with President Chaves in the Salón Las Musas of the National Theater.
"I am on a mission to strengthen the bonds of friendship and fraternity between our two peoples and governments," expressed Mulino.
Both rulers highlighted that our nations share a history, geography, and values that call us to advance together towards the development and prosperity of our societies.
The delegations subsequently moved to the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a lunch hosted by President Chaves.
The leaders held talks on trade issues aimed at promoting cooperation and dialogue to achieve short-term solutions that will allow the orderly and safe restoration of the commercial flow, addressing Panama's sanitary and phytosanitary concerns, ensuring compliance with international commitments and the economic stability of both nations.
President Chávez's team was composed of Lydia Peralta Cordero, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship; Víctor Carvajal Porras, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock; Manuel Tovar Rivera, Minister of Foreign Trade; Arnold Zamora Miranda, Minister of Communication and Liaison; and Gabriel Aguilar Vargas, Director of the Presidential Office.
In addition, they highlighted the mutual will to improve the quality of life for both peoples, particularly of communities located in border areas, through the development of binational cooperation projects that contribute to achieving these objectives.
They agreed on the importance of continuing to work on physical and legal security, as well as on strengthening peaceful and harmonious coexistence among neighboring countries.
President Mulino and the First Lady of the Republic, Maricel Cohen de Mulino, were received with a warm hug by the Costa Rican president and his First Lady, Signe Zeikate, at the entrance of the historic National Theater.
They also reiterated their commitment to maintaining joint and coordinated work in strategic areas such as: attention to the migrant population to ensure a humanitarian and orderly response, and to continue facilitating the exchange of information to strengthen the security of migrants and nationals to jointly face human trafficking and organized crime, and to promote the consolidation of regional security.
They also discussed measures to facilitate trade and bilateral and regional economic integration through the acceleration of land cargo transport and bilateral customs logistics integration.
