I am the first Greek Foreign Minister to visit Panama in many decades. I had the opportunity to sign with my dear colleague an Agreement of Cooperation between our Diplomatic Academies, but also to foster our cooperation in a range of other areas, such as the "Our Ocean Conference" taking place this year by Panama and next year, in 2024, in Greece.
I would like to emphasize our close cooperation and to thank Panama for its support for the election of Greece to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member for the 2025-26 term. The elections will take place in 2024. We also have cooperation in the framework of the SICA (Central American Integration System) where Greece will sign the Agreement to obtain observer status in the coming days.
But I also asked for Panama's assistance regarding the Greek presence here through the establishment of an Embassy. I was therefore handed over the relevant note today.
Of course, we also discussed our cooperation in IMO, the International Maritime Organization, and our overall cooperation on maritime issues. As it is well known, Greece has the largest fleet of merchant ships in the world. And a significant number of these ships, more than 500, fly the Panamanian flag. Therefore, our cooperation and mutual understanding on shipping issues are of great importance.
I am generally very satisfied with my contacts here in Panama and I hope to welcome my colleague in Athens soon.
February 10, 2023