Investment Projects In Panama Are Discussed Amongst Lula And Mulino -

(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama) Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met with his Panamanian counterpart, José Raúl Mulino, on Thursday. He will discuss investment projects in the country, which has just joined Mercosur as an associate state. Although this was an official visit, Mulino was received with state honors at the Planalto Palace, a ceremony that included a review of a battalion of soldiers from the Independence Dragoons, a historic regiment of the Brazilian Presidency. Lula greeted him with a warm embrace at the top of the ramp leading to the palace, and after listening to the national anthems of both countries, they headed to the Brazilian president's office for a private meeting, after which they will deliver a joint statement to reporters.

Special attention will be paid to a presentation by the Panamanian president on the investment opportunities offered by his country's port and airport logistics, with the interoceanic canal and the Colón Free Zone as key pillars. Since last December, Panama has had the status of an associate state of Mercosur, which is made up of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay, with Bolivia in the process of joining. The bloc's six-month presidency is currently held by Brazil, which has already expressed interest in discussing a free trade agreement with Panama, within the framework of a global expansion of markets that has now deepened with the tariff war unleashed by the United States.

After the statement to reporters, Lula and Mulino will head to the neighboring Itamaraty Palace, headquarters of the Foreign Ministry, for lunch. Afterward, the Panamanian president will attend a business event organized by the National Confederation of Industry (CNI) and the Latin American Development Bank (CAF). This forum, which will bring together representatives of the private sector from both countries, will be Mulino's last official engagement. He will present to Brazilian business leaders Panama's plans for the Latin American Economic Forum, which the country will host next January.

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