Pence ends regional sprint in Panama

US VICE-PRESIDENT Mike Price spent six hours in Panama on Thursday, August 18 before returning to Washington and the White House pressure cooker.

He was finishing off his Latin-America sprint and took time to spend  just an hour in a closed door  meeting  with President Juan Carlos Varela

Trade relations, bilateral treaties and the situation of Venezuela dominated his public pronouncements.

The United States wants to make more investments in Panama, has an interest in expanding trade routes and knows that the Canal is extremely important in this regard, he said.

“The expansion of the canal has resulted in billions of dollars of investment in the US, creating good jobs in manufacturing, transportation, and agriculture, and all ports around the world are trying to accommodate neo -Panamax ships,” including The one in Miami, Florida, which just completed a $2 billion  expansion”  he said while visiting  the new locks.

Pence took advantage of the Latin American tour that ended in Panama to manifest the position of the United States to restore democracy in the neighboring country, with Trump’ talk of a military role setting off alarm bells across the region.

“Trust in this: the United States will continue to take all the measure of US economic and diplomatic power until democracy is restored in Venezuela,” said Pence.

In public speeches, there were largely predictable apple pie exchanges.  Varela emphasized Panama’s interest for more US companies to invest in infrastructure projects in the country.

“Panama has become the great connection for trade with the logistics system, the expanded Canal, the Master Plan of the Interoceanic Zone, which will turn our logistics hub into a world-class one,” said Varela.

And Pence, after thanking the “leadership” of President Varela, stressed “support for market policies” that have resulted in “incredible” economic growth, which has been above 6% in recent years.

In terms of security, the Panamanian leader stressed that there was agreement on the risk to the region of increased drug production in neighboring countries, and that there is determination to defeat with the support of allies like the United States, reports La Estrella.

On migration, Varela said that the country plays an important role, because it protects its borders to keep them safe and detecting irregular migrants that represent a risk for America. In the coming days measures will be announced to support the return to democratic order in Venezuela and strengthen the internal security of the country.