Trade between India-Panama heading towards 50 bn : S Jaishankar

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Panama Foreign Minister Janaina Tewaney held a joint press conference on Monday after holding discussions on several bilateral issues related to healthandtrade.

Addressing the joint briefing, EAM Jaishankar said India and Panama discussed what can be done to expand the cooperation and how Indian Pharmaceuticals can bebroughttoPanama.

“In the last three years, Indian pharmacy has made a change in the world. In covid we supplied vaccines, and we exported medicines to most of the developed world,” Jaishankar said.

“Covid has taught us not to be dependent on very limited centres of production, on supply chains that can be disrupted so it is very important that there are more regional capacities, it is particularly important in health. It is not just trading, as research goes into it, we discussed how we can bring Indian pharmaceuticals to India,” the EAM added.

Jaishankar said further that India sees Latin America as a region that is not too far as the trade is heading towards50billiondollars.

“Our companies are doing big projects in Latin America, we have large operations of Indian companies, we have daily exchanges, we have a capacity building and we have a diaspora here,” theEAMadded.

Speaking on the bilateral ties between India and Panama, Jaishankar, “It is a great pleasure to be in Panama as politically India and Panama have been strong close friendstraditionally.

“We share attributes of democracies, markets, economy and pluralisticsocieties,”hesaid.

“Our world outlook is also very similar, as we are part of large south-south cooperation there is a very good base of understanding and friendship,”headded.