Panama found itself in an awkward position for a gesture that could be seen as endorsing mockery against another country. The country is seeking to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a key trade deal where New Zealand holds significant weight in both political and technical decisions. Furthermore, it is believed this gesture could create unnecessary tensions with Caribbean countries and other nations with which Panama has historical, cultural, and cooperative ties that must be preserved and strengthened. Getting involved in diplomatic friction over symbolic gestures can close doors, affect negotiations, and damage Panama's image before other countries. The other debate: how to combat cigarettes. The Association also states that instead of spectacles and public shaming, the debate should focus on real solutions against smoking. They explain that there are countries where less harmful alternatives are used for adult smokers who cannot quit, and this has yielded results. Panama got into an unnecessary mess abroad. Even New Zealand is one of those countries. That is why they ask Panama to act with more cool-headedness, use science to make decisions, and be mindful of its behavior at international events. This was warned by the Association for the Reduction of Tobacco Harm (ARDTP), which urged the government to be more careful with diplomatic matters after what happened at a UN meeting in Switzerland. In a note sent to the Minister of Health, Fernando Boyd Galindo, the Association explained that during the COP11 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, organized by the WHO, a gesture considered hostile towards the New Zealand delegation took place. During the meeting, which Panama was chairing, an NGO presented New Zealand with an "Ashtray Award", a mocking prize called "the dirty ashtray", a public way of pointing them out for supposed closeness to tobacco companies. The problem, according to the Association, is that Panama allowed this action.
