Panama keen on employing Lankan seamen

Panama is considering employing Lankan seamen on board Korean vessels carrying the Panama flag, Panama's ambassador to Sri Lanka and South Korea Aram Cisneros said.

Panama wants closer ties with SL

Chaminda Perera

Panama's ambassador designate to Sri Lanka and South Korea, Aram Cisneros said he was hopeful of boosting closer ties between Sri Lanka and Panama.

Cisneros said he met President Mahinda Rajapaksa and senior government officials during his stay in the country.

He expected to boost closer ties between Sri Lanka and Panama through their embassy based in Seoul.

The envoy was addressing a special press conference in Colombo after presenting credentials to President Rajapaksa on Friday evening.

Cisneros said the Sri Lankan government under the leadership of former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike played a major role in pressurising the United States to transfer the ownership of Panama Canal through the Torrijos Carter Treaty.

He said the Non Alignment Movement under the Chair of Bandaranaike in 1976, played a prominent role in the transfer of ownership of the Panama canal to his government through the Torrijos Carter agreement signed in 1977.

“Former Prime Minister Sirmavo Bandaranaike played a key role in taking back the Panama canal from US control and we pay our gratitude to the Sri Lankan government,” Cisneros said.

The Panama government opened a Liaison Office for Maritime Consular Affairs in Colombo to have interaction with Korean ship owners to deploy efficient Lankan seamen on their ships. Panama has a 22 percent market share in the world's maritime industry and has 9,000 vessels carrying the Panama flag. One thousand, out of 9,000 vessels registered under the Panama flag, are owned by Korea and Panama, he said.

Cisneros said Panama is convinced that Sri Lankan seamen are far ahead in terms of efficiency.

He said Sri Lanka has competitors in the field of seamen with the Philippines, Myanmar and Cambodia in the Asian region.

“I will connect Korean ship owners with Sri Lankan seamen to help them get employment,” he said.

Cisneros said he met stakeholders in the maritime industry including the business community and discussed how to develop cooperation in maritime industry between the two countries.

He was of the view that Panama can be a gateway for Sri Lankan exports including tea, cinnamon and many other products to penetrate Latin American countries with a population of over 600 million.

“Sri Lanka can use Panama as a hub through which it can capture the Caribbean and Central American markets,” he said.

Cisneros said his country has the world's second largest free economic zone, Colon which is dedicated to re-export products to Latin American and Caribbean countries. The envoy said his country is service oriented

“It is not an industrial or agriculture country,” he said. “We are very strong in the maritime industry, telecommunications and the international service sector.”