United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with President of Panama Laurentino Cortizo Cohen and Secretary of State Erika Mouynes in Panama City to discuss the importance of regional cooperation on irregular migration and forced displacement ” to promote safe, orderly and humane migration throughout the region”.
“Good partnerships are crucial if we are to promote safe, orderly and humane migration. Grateful meeting with President @NitoCortizo and FM @ErikaMouynes with @SecMayorkas today in Panama to promote our countries’ common priorities on migration,” Blinken tweeted.
The meeting aimed to refine the regional deal that will be debated at the Summit of the Americas scheduled for June, in which the US administration will address the problem of irregular migration with a focus on countries in the region explaining the reasons for the People are leaving their countries to seek better living conditions in the United States.
Both nations agree that poor political stability, corruption, insecurity and poor living conditions, as well as the coronavirus pandemic, are the main causes of massive regional migration, the AP news agency reported. In addition, the United States assured that it considers Panama “an important ally” to end this situation, bearing in mind that thousands of migrants are passing through Panama to reach the US border.
The meeting comes ahead of a possible surge in the number of migrants seeking to enter the United States after a published health order that allowed US authorities to turn back migrants even if they were seeking asylum expired.
According to the latest data from the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP, for its English initials), the United States detained 221,303 migrants at the border with Mexico in March, representing a 33% increase compared to the United States a month earlier and the highest in the last 20 years.
A State Department statement also noted that the meeting discussed strengthening economic ties between the two countries, the intention to use the Summit of the Americas to advance efforts to strengthen democracy and improve governance in the region, and the need to remain united against Russia’s war in Ukraine.