President of Panama José Raúl Mulino began his official agenda at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. During his stay, Mulino held a meeting with Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. At the meeting, Mulino invited the business sector of this Asian country to develop more investments in Panama in the sectors of aviation, technology, energy, and logistics, with the goal of leveraging the connectivity platform to access the Latin American market. Singapore's president, for his part, expressed interest in intervening so that his country's aviation industry can resume operations in Panama, again reflecting the advantage that is now added by being part of the Mercosur bloc. Shanmugaratnam and Mulino agreed on the need to make an official visit to Singapore, where a meeting of business missions could be held to concretize other business opportunities. As a preview, the meeting also informed of the Canal projects, which include two future mega-ports, a topic of great interest to Singapore. Panama's interest was also expressed for Singapore to become a strategic hub in the semiconductor development project due to its high degree of innovation. Mulino took the opportunity to invite Shanmugaratnam for Singapore to accede to the Panama Canal Neutrality Treaty as a guarantee for world trade. During these meetings, President Mulino was accompanied by Ministers Felipe Chapman (Economy and Finance); José Ramón Icaza (Canal) and Julio Moltó (Commerce and Industries), as well as Kristelle Getzler, Secretary of Economic Affairs and Competitiveness of the Presidency. Earlier in the day, the Panamanian president also held a bilateral meeting with the president of Switzerland, Guy Parmelin, with whom he agreed to strengthen diplomatic relations between both countries, taking into account that the European country is the third largest investor in Panama, with a capital of $5.5 billion, in the commercial, financial, and manufacturing industry sectors. Mulino stated that Panama's recent integration into the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), the fifth largest trading bloc in the world, positions the country with its logistics platform as a gateway for the Swiss pharmaceutical industry to South America. On the Swiss side, Parmelin highlighted his interest in learning about the strategy of the Panamanian merchant marine, recognized as the largest in the world due to the country's logistical potential, along with its interoceanic canal. This allowed Mulino to highlight the projects being executed in the Canal, such as the Rio Indio reservoir, two mega-ports, and a gas pipeline. Both parties highlighted the advantage that the recent opening of the Panamanian embassy in Bern will bring, in addition to Panama's request for Switzerland to accede to the Permanent Neutrality and Operation Treaty of the Canal. It was highlighted that this step will allow Switzerland to reinforce its profile as a guarantor of the neutrality of the Panama Canal and global trade and navigation routes, constituting a key message in favor of international law and global peace. Both leaders stressed the interest in boosting bilateral trade, with coffee being Panama's main export product to Switzerland. Meanwhile, on the Swiss side, the products that stand out among exports to Panama are those from the pharmaceutical industry, watchmaking, optical apparatus, alcoholic beverages, among others.
