The work in the commissions of foreign and security or defense ministers marks the second day of the regional meeting on migration in Panama today.
In a similar format, the first of these meetings took place in October 2021 in Colombia.
Present on this occasion are the two heavyweights of the Joe Biden administration: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken; and the Minister of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, a stay that popular movements oppose as emissaries of the war.
Delegations from around 20 nations of the continent have been invited to the meeting, according to the State Department, but judging by the days and times of arrival in this capital, the presence of Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, Costa Rica, Mexico and Colombia is confirmed; In addition to the United States and Panama.
For this Wednesday, it is expected that the first conclusions of the forum will be announced at a press conference by Blinken, Mayorkas and their hosts, the Isthmus Foreign Minister Erika Mouynes and the head of Public Safety Juan Pino.
The day before, the same speakers at Panama City’s Casco Antiguo called for shared responsibility in the face of increasing irregular migration.
This meeting will lay the groundwork for a regional agreement to be finalized at the IX. America Summit June 6-10 in Los Angeles, California.
As part of his intense agenda, Blinken also met with the President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo, at the Palacio de las Garzas (Headquarters of the Executive) and visited the Panama Canal, of which the United States is the main user.
Countries agree that political instability, lack of strong institutions, corruption, insecurity and lack of opportunity – and more recently Covid-19 – are some of the causes of large-scale regional migration.
Faced with this phenomenon, Foreign Minister Mouynes called on the region to respond as a strengthened group with a common agenda and common interests.
While Blinken claimed that the United States views Panama, an area that serves as a transit area for thousands of migrants bound for North America each year, as a key ally to face part of the scourge.