Panama And Peru Strengthen Trade And Tax Relations

(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama) The President of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, and his Peruvian counterpart, Dina Boluarte Zegarra, agreed to strengthen trade and fiscal ties, reinforce cooperation in strategic areas such as security, and reinforce the historical ties between the two countries.
Panama and Peru have 32 bilateral agreements in various fields, such as agriculture, science, culture, tourism, trade and security. In addition, they have 121 years of diplomatic relations, during which they have cultivated a solid and fruitful relationship of friendship and cooperation.
The meeting was attended by the Panamanian ambassador to Switzerland, and the ministers of Economy, Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industry, Felipe Chapman, Javier Martínez-Acha and Julio Moltó, who addressed the trade issue.
Among the issues discussed, the importance of moving forward in holding technical meetings to review pending issues such as exports from the Colon Free Zone was highlighted.
In addition, the Peruvian proposal to hold a meeting of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Committee of the Free Trade Agreement between Panama and Peru, as well as the holding of the First Meeting of the Administrative Commission of the FTA, were positively valued.
At the meeting of the presidents of Panama and Peru, Panama's interest in leaving the list of countries or territories considered to have low or zero taxation, in which Peru has included since 2001, was highlighted. President Mulino expressed his country's commitment to work jointly with Peru to address this issue and seek solutions that strengthen fiscal relations between both countries.
In this context, President Boluarte extended a cordial invitation to the Panamanian President to make an official visit to Peru next April.
During this meeting, various issues of common interest were addressed, strengthening cooperation in strategic areas such as security and the coordination of investigations.
Furthermore, Panama expressed its commitment to the fight against transnational criminal organizations, especially within the framework of its membership in the UN Security Council, where it has raised the need to address these global challenges as destabilizing factors for States and democracy.
Regarding migration, Panama stressed the importance of“shared responsibility” between countries of origin, transit and destination, promoting safe, orderly and regular migration.
Both nations agreed to strengthen the exchange of migration information, with Panama interested in evaluating Peru's proposal to establish an Interinstitutional Agreement for the Exchange of Migration Information between the National Migration Service of Panama and the National Migration Superintendence of Peru.
A key aspect of the meeting was SIMA-Peru's proposal to establish a ship repair and shipbuilding center in collaboration with Panama, including the construction of a merchant training vessel and an oceanographic vessel. In addition, Peru announced the upcoming visit to Panama of a Peruvian sailing training ship.

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