UK Minister of State for Latin America travels to Panama
The Rt. Hon. Minister of State for Latin America at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Hugo Swire MP, is visiting Panama 16-17 July.
Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire is visiting Panama 16-17 July.
This is his second visit to the country, following his earlier visit in November 2012.
Minister Swire will meet a number of Panama’s New Ministers, to discuss the broad spectrum of issues that characterise the relationship between the two countries, including commercial, security and foreign policy matters. He will present Ministers with a Letter of Interest from UK Export Finance for potential support of up to £500m ($750m) for UK companies supplying goods and services to infrastructure projects in Panama.
In this centenary year of the Panama Canal, Minister Swire will visit the expansion site of the Canal and will unveil a plaque at the Miraflores Locks Visitor Centre, to commemorate the significant contribution of the people of the British West Indies in the construction of the Panama Canal.
He will also meet with British businesses operating in Panama and will tour the Panama Pacifico site, which is being developed by London & Regional, to see firsthand the progress being made on the project.
Mr Swire will also officially open the refurbished British Embassy in Panama City, which is the regional hub for Central America.
Speaking ahead of his visit, Minister Swire said:
I look forward to returning to Panama and to meeting members of the new government. We will discuss a number of shared priorities such as the promotion of trade and business opportunities between our countries and discuss with the government their plans for expanded English language education. We will also discuss a wide range of security and foreign policy matters.