External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Panama Foreign Minister Janaina Tewaney held a joint press conference on Monday after holding discussions on several bilateral issues related to health and trade. Speaking on Pakistan during the joint briefing, EAM Jaishankar said “It is very difficult for us to engage with a neighbour who practices cross-border terrorism against us”. He also said, “we've always said that they have to deliver on the commitment to not sponsor and carry out cross-border terrorism. We continue to hope that one day we would reach that stage.”
During his address in the joint briefing, Jaishankar also said that India and Panama discussed what can be done to expand the cooperation and how Indian Pharmaceuticals can be brought to Panama. "In the last three years, Indian pharmacy has made a change in the world. In covid we supplied vaccines, and we exported medicines to most of the developed world," Jaishankar said.
"Covid has taught us not to be dependent on very limited centres of production, on supply chains that can be disrupted so it is very important that there are more regional capacities, it is particularly important in health. It is not just trading, as research goes into it, we discussed how we can bring Indian pharmaceuticals to India," the EAM added, as quoted by ANI. Jaishankar said further that India sees Latin America as a region that is not too far as the trade is heading towards 50 billion dollars.
"Our companies are doing big projects in Latin America, we have large operations of Indian companies, we have daily exchanges, we have a capacity building and we have a diaspora here," the EAM added, as quoted by ANI.
Speaking on the bilateral ties between India and Panama, Jaishankar, "It is a great pleasure to be in Panama as politically India and Panama have been strong close friends traditionally. "We share attributes of democracies, markets, economy and pluralistic societies," he said.