An interactive meeting was organised by MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai jointly with All India Association of Industries and Trade and Investment Promotion delegation from Republic of Panama. The programme was supported by Embassy of Panama, New Delhi and Indo Latin American Chamber of Commerce (ILACC). Mr. Richard Kilborn, National Investment Promotion Director, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Republic of Panama said, “The recently-elected Panama government is pro-business and is looking to strengthen its bilateral relations with India. Panama is exploring partnerships with Indian companies in areas such as IT, pharmaceutical, shipping and logistics, and banking and finance.”

Mr. Kilborn highlighted “Panama offers state-of-the-art infrastructure in the form of seaports, shipping lines, airports and connectivity, serving as a hub of hubs. We have tropical rainforests attracting tourists from across the globe and are promoting medical tourism by offering world-class healthcare with latest technology. We also offer scenic filming locales and unique film post-production facilities.”

Mr. Kilborn further said, “We invite Indian business fora in exploring investment opportunities in Panama, and specifically, the Panama Canal expansion project.”

Mr. Hardeep Singh Bhullar, Marketing Investment Director, Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Republic of Panama said “In Panama, we have a very productive Indian community. Since three years, we are promoting the programme ‘Panama Meets India’ to promote bilateral trade and investment. This year, Mumbai is the second-last leg of our five-city tour to India and so far, we have received very encouraging responses.”

Mr. Raj Kumar Sharma, Founder President and Chief Executive Officer, Indo Latin American Chamber of Commerce, remarked “We should develop a regional cooperation agreement between Asia and the LAC region on the lines of BRICS, BIMSTEC etc. We need to revive our technological cooperation and promote sister-city cooperation. We invite Indian businessmen to be a part of our delegation to EXPOCOMER 2020 in Panama City”.

Ms. Rupa Naik, Senior Director, MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai said, ”Panama’s multimodal logistics hub provides excellent global connectivity to foreign companies established in its Free Zones.”

Also present at the event were Mr. Jose Ibanez, Film Commissioner, Ministry of Culture, Mr. Prabhakar Sharan, Bollywood and Latin American actor and Vice President, Indo-Latin American Chamber of Commerce and Ex Colonel NP Singh, Director – Global Business Development, Indo-France European Triangle.

In Photo:

Mr. Richard Kilborn addressing the session. Seated (L-R): Mr. Hardeep Singh Bhullar, Mr. Prabhakar Sharan, Mr. Raj Kumar Sharma and Ms. Rupa Naik.