Panama City [Panama], August 7 : Indian Ambassador to Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua Sumit Seth paid a courtesy visit to Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday (local time) as the ambassador formally concluded his diplomatic mission. The two sides reviewed the developments in bilateral relations and discussed measures to further strengthen cooperation, including expanding scholarship opportunities and implementing development projects.
The Indian Embassy in Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua shared details of the meeting in a post on X, stating, "India Panama || Hasta Luego, Senor President || Ambassador @doctorsumitseth met Hon'ble President of Panama H.E. Mr. Jose Raul Mulino @JoseRaulMulino for a Farewell Call-on Meeting and conveyed greetings of Hon'ble President @rashtrapatibhvn and Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi."
https://x.com/indiainpanama/status/2085414681586381264?s=48&t=lCJN_8Zt8EjtgIS6MJ0R9A
According to the embassy, Ambassador Seth conveyed greetings from President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to President Mulino during the farewell meeting.
The embassy said the discussions focused on the recent visit of Panama's Foreign Minister to India, increasing scholarship slots for Panamanian students, implementation of Quick Impact Projects, and exploring ideas to further boost the bilateral relationship.
The meeting comes amid growing engagement between India and Panama across trade, education, development cooperation and maritime affairs.
Panama's Foreign Minister Javier Eduardo Martinez-Acha Vasquez visited India last month, during which he held delegation-level talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Jaishankar described Panama as a natural gateway to Latin America and highlighted the country's strategic location and logistics infrastructure anchored by the Panama Canal. The two sides discussed expanding cooperation in trade, business, maritime affairs, health, agriculture, education, digital technologies and multilateral engagement.
During the visit, Vasquez also spoke to ANI, where he pitched Panama as India's strategic partner and gateway to Latin America for manufacturing, logistics and investment. He invited Indian companies to establish manufacturing and distribution facilities in Panama to access Central America, the Caribbean and South American markets, describing the country as a stable economy with world-class logistics infrastructure centred around the Panama Canal.
The Panamanian Foreign Minister also expressed concern over the impact of the West Asia crisis on global energy markets and maritime trade, warning that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz could affect oil prices and international supply chains. He said Panama, home to one of the world's largest shipping registries, remained committed to safeguarding freedom of navigation, maritime security and adherence to international maritime law.
He urged India to join the Panama Canal Neutrality Treaty, saying New Delhi could play an important role in supporting the canal's neutrality alongside other democratic partners. He stressed that Panama seeks to deepen diplomatic, commercial and educational cooperation with India while preserving the canal as a neutral global asset serving international trade.