Rubio Receives Panama’s Foreign Minister Amid Debate on Venezuela’s Stability
Rubio and Martínez-Acha also discussed opportunities to deepen collaboration on issues of mutual interest between the United States and Panama.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Tuesday with Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha at the State Department in Washington. The meeting, which addressed issues related to both countries, was marked by the situation in Venezuela following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. Rubio expressed his deep appreciation for Panama’s strong collaboration over the past year, highlighting the close cooperation that has advanced shared priorities in the region, according to Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott.
The U.S. Secretary of State commended the measures taken by Panama to ensure the protection of critical infrastructure and “expressed interest in greater cooperation in ongoing regional efforts to promote stability in Venezuela,” Pigott said. Rubio and Martínez-Acha also discussed opportunities to deepen collaboration on issues of mutual interest between the United States and Panama, “including our security cooperation to combat common threats, such as drug trafficking and transnational crime,” according to the State Department statement.
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino has celebrated the capture of Maduro on January 3 by U.S. forces in Caracas and called for a democratic transition in Venezuela. The Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also maintaining “active and ongoing diplomatic efforts” to secure the release of Panamanian citizen Olmedo Javier Núñez Peñalba, detained in Venezuela since last June.
