On Monday, Panama’s Foreign Affairs Minister Erika Mouynes convened a regional ministerial meeting on August 11 to discuss urgent solutions to the increasing flow of migrants that arrive in the Central American isthmus in transit to the United States and Canada.
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"My country respects the right of all human beings to freedom of movement without risking lives or properties," said Mouynes, who proposes to eradicate dangerous and uncontrolled migratory routes by regional cooperation agreements.
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Costa Rica, countries through which migrants transit to North America, have already confirmed their participation in the meeting. So far, the Panamanian authorities have not determined whether the appointment will be virtual or face-to-face.
The flow of migrants that regularly arrive in Panama from South America has recently been increased with Haitian families coming from Chile and Brazil, where they had settled after the 2010 earthquake that devastated their country.
Between 2015 and 2016, Panama agreed with neighboring Costa Rica on a controlled flow of migrants, through which travelers now receive medical and food help in Panamanian territory and are taken to Costa Rica’s border to continue their journey.
In April, Panama also agreed to get expedited information from Colombia on irregular migrants going to their countries. "This agreement is a first step to comprehensively and responsibly address the situation on the Colombian-Panamanian border," local authorities stated.
However, so far this year, about 46,000 migrants have arrived in Panama, and other 15,000 remain stranded in Colombia’s Necocli town, from which they intend to move to the Darien jungle to cross Panama. This situation has generated humanitarian crises in the Central American isthmus.