“What we can have with that southern economic bloc will give us an important economic muscle,” said Mulino, who will take office on July 1, referring to the possibility of a commercial link with Brazil. Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
Mulino, who denied in his speech that he was an “ultra-rightist,” also promised to deport migrants who enter the country through the Darien junglebordering Colombiaon his journey towards USA.
More than 520,000 people, mostly Venezuelans, crossed the inhospitable jungle in 2023, which has forced the Panamanian government to allocate resources to assist them. In the first quarter of the year more than 110,000 people made the crossing, according to official figures.
“So that those over there know [en naciones de Sudamérica] and those who would like to come, here whoever arrives will return to their country of origin,” said Mulino during a speech at the event in which the National Scrutiny Board formally proclaimed him as the next president for the period 2024-2029.
Mercosur, under the leadership of Lula da Silva, has been seeking new FTAs with different world economies. The most recent interest is Japan.
Last week, the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishidamet with the president Lula Silva in Brazil, to whom he expressed his intention to “strengthen” relations with the regional bloc and take economic cooperation “to the next level.”
Mercosur recently signed a trade agreement with Singapore and entered into negotiations with United Arab Emirates (UAE)while a resolution is delayed in the agreement with the European Union (EU).
Source: Ambito
