Obama and Castro, Panama bound in April

President Barack Obama and Cuban president Raul Castro will be in Panama in April for the Seventh Summit of the Americas. There joint appearance will be an unprecedented event and for two days the eyes of the world will be on Panama.

 Only nine other countries of 34 have so far confirmed their participation but there are unlikely to be any no shows. Those who have already confirmed says Panama’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Panama are Michelle Bachelet (Chile), Horacio Cartes (Paraguay), Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (Argentina), Juan Manuel Santos (Colombia), Enrique Peña Nieto (Mexico) Luis Guillermo Solis (Costa Rica), Juan Orlando Hernandez (Honduras), Otto Perez Molina (Guatemala) and Salvador Sanchez Ceren (El Salvador).
On Wednesday, the two leaders agreed to restore diplomatic and trade relations after a 54 years US embargo after the rise of Fidel Castro, brother of the current Cuban president.
In almost simultaneous press conferences, both presidents agreed to initiate a process of dialogue for a new geopolitical scenario in Latin America.
Countries that have not yet confirmed are: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Dominica, Ecuador, Granada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Peru, Dominican Republic, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Among the topics proposed by the Panamanian government for discussion at the meeting is the challenge of cooperation of the Americas, a program for governance and hemispheric relations with the rest of the international community.
Also on the agenda is the distribution of wealth, to ensure that everyone can build their personal and family progress.
Another issue is labor migration, with a focus not only on the north but also what happens internally in participating countries.