Panama: President-elect Pledges To Normalise Relations With Venezuela, Colombia
Panama: President-elect Pledges To Normalise Relations With Venezuela, Colombia
PANAMA CITY, May 12 (BERNAMA-NNN-MERCOPRESS) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Panamanian president-elect Juan Carlos Varela have pledged to waste no time in normalizing relations and re-launching diplomatic, economic and trade ties cut off two months ago, Venezuela's foreign ministry announced.
Varela takes office on July 1.
Maduro spoke with Varela just hours after the Panamanian presidential challenger was declared the winner of a close race on May 5. Both reiterated "their firm commitment to continuing to promote Latin American and Caribbean integration within the framework of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)".
Varela in an interview with the Panamanian media said that "among countries there are no conditions" and underlined he was willing to re-establish full relations with Venezuela so that Panama could keep trading and hopefully collecting pending debts.
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Regarding Venezuela, ties between the two countries were suspended in March by Maduro's government after Panama's outgoing president Ricardo Martinelli, a close US ally, was perceived of aiding Venezuela's anti-government factions.
More:
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/wn/newsworld.php?id=1037654