Costa Rica and Panama strengthen ties and will work on marine protection

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Costa Rican Foreign Minister Rodolfo Solano on Wednesday (8) met with his Panamanian counterpart Erika Mouynes, and the two exchanged views on the regional and multilateral context, the Costa Rican government said in a statement.

In the bilateral scope, the Ministers “defined an agenda for the next Meeting of the Strategic Association Council, to be held before the end of the year in Panama City, and confirmed the celebration of the XVI Permanent Joint Commission on Limits, in October in San José,” the official statement said.

The Strategic Association Agreement between Costa Rica and Panama, signed in 2009, is mainly intended to strengthen ties and is also a space to follow up on issues of the bilateral agenda in border, migration, security and trade matters, among others.

The Foreign Ministers also recognized the relevance of environmental issues and high climate ambition in the climate change negotiations and discussed “the convenience of working together to expand maritime conservation areas, particularly in the Eastern Pacific Tropical Maritime Corridor.”

This expansion of marine protection is part of the goal of protecting at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030, promoted by the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, sponsored by Costa Rica and backed by Panama, explained the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry.

“Foreign Minister Solano and Foreign Minister Mouynes pledged to continue strengthening bilateral dialogue, both in regional coordination areas and at the bilateral level, and welcomed the interest in the upcoming official visit of President Laurentino Cortizo to Costa Rica,” the statement said.