New Delhi [India], July 23 (ANI): Union Minister for Commerce Piyush Goyal on Wednesday met Panama's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Javier Eduardo Martinez-Acha Vasquez, and held discussions on bolstering the bilateral partnership.

'We held productive discussions on deepening the India-Panama partnership across trade, investment, logistics, digital cooperation and business-to-business engagement,' Goyal said.

The leaders also explored ways to improve market access, unlock new opportunities for bilateral trade, and leverage India's Digital Public Infrastructure, including UPI, to advance collaboration in digital payments and digital governance, he said on X.

https://x.com/PiyushGoyal/status/2079946312586510402?s=20

Earlier on Wednesday, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) Sarbananda Sonowal held bilateral talks with Panama's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Javier Martinez-Acha Vasquez, to deepen maritime cooperation between the two countries, with both sides identifying logistics, shipping, maritime security, skill development and digital transformation as the key pillars of an expanded strategic partnership.

Vasquez on Monday hailed India as 'already a superpower' and called for elevating bilateral ties into a long-term strategic partnership, while pitching Panama as India's gateway to Latin America for trade, investment and global supply chains.

Speaking during delegation-level talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi, Vasquez said it was a privilege to visit India at a time when the country is playing an increasingly important role in shaping the global order.

Highlighting Panama's strategic location and connectivity, Vasquez said the country could play a key role in India's engagement with Latin America.

'We may be a small country geographically, but we have always believed that our value is measured by the connections we create, not by the size of our territory. Just as India connects ideas, Panama connects markets. The Panama Canal is more than an engineering achievement. It is a platform for trusted global commerce,' he said.

He said that Panama should be viewed as 'a strategic extension' of India's international economic outreach.

'We would like India to see Panama as a strategic extension of its international economic outreach. Panama is, as you mentioned, India's main gateway to Latin America and to Central America.' (ANI)