Blinken came to Panama for a regional migration meeting (+photo)
In the first bilateral talks nearly an hour after the arrival of the head of US diplomacy, which has been rejected by the popular movements, Cortizo reiterated the executive branch’s demand, which was officially presented just over a month ago.
A note from the Palacio de las Garzas (seat of the executive) indicates that the head of state invited the establishment of a dialogue mechanism between the two countries, which “have already been known as strategic partners in the past, in order to find solutions and contingencies in a negotiating dialogue Behavior.”
On March 16, Secretary of State Erika Mouynes delivered letters to the embassy’s chargé d’affaires, Stewart Tutle, asking him to review the terms of the tariff cut to protect sensitive items such as rice, dairy products and derivatives, and chicken… and pigs .
Washington’s outright refusal to review the rule, signed in 2007 and in effect since 2012, which Tutle himself expressed in press statements, prompted protests from the National Pig Farmers Association, which called for mobilizations in several provinces.
The TPC imposes a zero tariff on more than 87 percent of US manufactured and consumer goods exports to Panama, and will eliminate the rest over the next 10 years.
For the Isthmus, the agreement in its current form has implications for agricultural production and job creation, particularly in rural areas.
On this subject, the Deputy Minister for Agricultural Development, Carlo Rognoni, explained to Prensa Latina the importance of revising the TPC to protect the four sensitive lines that represent more than 50 percent of the contribution to the economy of the sector.
That treaty says the calendar ends with a zero tariff for 2025, making it very difficult to be competitive due to the asymmetry of economies and particularly the size of the US pig farming industry compared to ours, he added.
Blinken arrived in Panama on Tuesday under tight security to attend a regional meeting on migration, which officials announced will end tomorrow with the participation of delegations from about 20 nations.
In the closed-door talks, which were also attended by Secretary of State for National Security Alejandro Mayorkas, the President confirmed his participation in the IX. Summit of the Americas to be held June 6-10 in Los Angeles, California, themed “Create a Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Future”.
Blinken’s agenda also includes a tour of the Panama Canal and exchanges with representatives of multilateral development banks, international financial institutions and non-governmental organizations.
With all of them, he will address issues of economic recovery, migration, refugee protection, fighting corruption and supporting civil society.
The presence of Blinken and Mayorkas, the first of them in Panama, is denied by popular movements such as the National Front for the Defense of Economic and Social Rights, which was mobilized at the monument to commemorate those who died in the deed of January 9, 1964 fallen to condemn the arrival of the emissaries of war, pursuant to .
jha/ga