Panama and Colombia restart Free Trade Agreement talks

From 11 to 15 March 2013 the two countries will resume trade agreement negotiations in a sixth round to be held in Medellin.

Capital.com.pa reports that “the Minister of Trade and Industry (MITI), Ricardo Quijano, formally announced the relaunch of trade negotiations between the Republic of Panama and the Republic of Colombia, which have been suspended since October 2010, during the V round of negotiations, held here. ”

“After several meetings and discussions at a political and technical level, over the past two years, we have made substantial progress, which has allowed us to formally reactivate negotiations”, said Quijano.

According to Quijano, a call is being made to the productive sectors involved in the negotiations, with the aim of defining the Panamanian proposal together. In addition, those interested in negotiating positions or re-sending proposals that have already been submitted for consideration may write via email colombianegociaciones@mici.gob.pa.


Colombian exports to Panama were worth $310 million in 2009, Plata said. Foreign direct investment from Panama in the first three quarters of 2009 was $256 million. The country is Colombia’s sixth-largest foreign investor, while Colombia is Panama’s third-largest investor.