U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio received Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha on Tuesday, where they highlighted the strength of the bilateral relationship and the close cooperation that has advanced shared priorities in our region. At the meeting, Rubio expressed his profound gratitude for the solid alliance with Panama over the past year. The officials discussed opportunities to deepen collaboration on issues of mutual interest, including expanding security cooperation to combat shared threats such as drug trafficking and transnational crime. Additionally, Secretary Rubio celebrated Panama's measures to protect critical infrastructure. And he expressed his interest in greater cooperation in ongoing regional efforts to promote stability in Venezuela. The Ministry of Foreign Relations of Panama also maintains 'active and permanent diplomatic efforts' to achieve the release of Panamanian citizen Olmedo Javier Núñez Peñalba, detained in Venezuela since last June.
