India, Panama chart new maritime partnership

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday held bilateral talks with Panama's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Javier Martinez-Acha Vasquez in New Delhi, 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.
"India and Panama are natural maritime partners. By combining Panama's strategic logistics strengths with India's growing maritime capabilities, we can build resilient supply chains, strengthen global connectivity and create new opportunities for trade, investment, innovation and sustainable growth. Our shared vision is to transform this. partnership into one of the key pillars of India's engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean," said Sonowal.The discussions reaffirmed the long-standing maritime relationship between India and Panama, dating back to the 19th century, and recognised the significant contribution of the Indian diaspora in strengthening bilateral ties.
During the meeting, Minister Javier Martinez-Acha Vasquez outlined four priority areas for expanding maritime cooperation between the two countries: maritime security, technical collaboration between India's Directorate General of Shipping and the Panama Maritime Authority, maritime education and skilling, and future-oriented cooperation in digital maritime transformation, including artificial intelligence, smart port logistics and maritime single-window systems.