Key Points

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama, Carlos Arturo Hoyos, met Secretary (West) of the Ministry of External Affairs, Tanmaya Lal, in New Delhi for the bilateral talks.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shared the update on X, describing it as "useful consultations on UN matters."

He posted, "Useful consultations on UN matters. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Carlos Arturo Hoyos of Panama and Secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal held delegation-level talks in Delhi. India wishes Panama a productive Presidency of the UN Security Council in August 2025."

https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1950757509041688673

Panama is currently serving as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2025-2026 term. It was elected alongside Pakistan, Denmark, Greece, and Somalia in the last election to fill non-permanent seats.

The Security Council consists of 15 members, five permanent members, namely China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly, as per the UNSC.

The current non-permanent members include Algeria (2025), Denmark (2026), Greece (2026), Guyana (2025), Pakistan (2026), Panama (2026), the Republic of Korea (2025), Sierra Leone (2025), Slovenia (2025), and Somalia (2026).

Earlier in May, Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martinez Acha had strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 people lost their lives. His remarks came during Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's visit to Panama as part of a multi-party parliamentary delegation.

During the meeting, Acha reaffirmed Panama's commitment to counter terrorism and extended solidarity with India.

"...Your visit here represents more than you can imagine: Panama's commitment to fighting against terrorism and to be together against these terror attacks that would affect anybody. We condemn what happened in Kashmir. Any country in the world that serves as a safe haven for terrorists should be condemned," Acha had said.

He also expressed his interest in visiting India and discussed the possibility of high-level exchanges between the two nations.

"I am looking forward to visiting India soon. We will also try to make an agenda for our President to visit India. We have a promise from my good friend Mr. Tharoor that Prime Minister Modi will come to Panama soon," Acha said.

Responding to the remark, Tharoor said, "We will try to persuade him."

India and Panama established diplomatic relations in 1962. Panama has a resident embassy in New Delhi and appointed a Consul General in Mumbai in 2018. The two countries share warm and friendly political ties.

- ANI