The president of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo, met this morning with Senators Timothy Michael, candidate for the vice presidency of the United States with Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Adriano Espaillat Rodríguez with whom he addressed issues of interest between Panama and the United States, especially the migratory flow.

The chief executive took the opportunity and requested support to treat the irregular migratory flow as a priority.

They also discussed Panama’s progress to get out of the discriminatory list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), in which he stressed that of the 15 points of the Action Plan, the country advanced in 12 and only lacks three. “We have made progress in the fight against organized crime and this is an example of what we can do when we work together with the United States,” he said.

In the one-hour meeting, the president highlighted the progress of Panama, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic in the Alliance for Development in Democracy (ADD) and said that the United States would be a good ally to attract foreign investment to the region.

He also thanked the senators for their efforts in approving the new ambassador to Panama, Mari Carmen Aponte. For Panama, it is very important to have a U.S. ambassador, Cortizo said.

“You know you have an ally in Panama because we demonstrate progress with facts. This is a government that facilitates good investments,” concluded Cortizo.

Senator Timothy Michael thanked the Panamanian president for exchanging experience and learning about Panama’s progress in security, economy, trade among other issues.

Accompanying President Cortizo were Vice President José Gabriel Carrizo; Foreign Minister Janaina Tewaney and Security Minister Juan Manuel Pino.