Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
Belize and Guatemala hold bilateral meeting in Panama
Foreign Minister, Wilfred Elrington; the Guatemalan Foreign Minister, Sandra Jovel and the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro met in Panama on December 13th in the margins of the L Meeting of Heads of State and Government of the Central American Integration System (SICA).
Both Belize and Guatemala’s foreign ministers expressed the need to prevent incidents and undertook to maintain close contact and ensure that constructive measures are developed to avoid tensions and promote cooperation between the two countries. They recognized the important role of the OAS and the international community in these efforts.
Secretary-General Almagro reiterated full support through his good offices and that of his organization in the strengthening of the OAS Office in the Adjacency Zone and in mobilizing international support for the process. In an effort to engage with international partners, they agreed to arrange to meet with the Group of Friends in the near future.
Source: Breaking Belize News
How a Postage Stamp May Have Helped Create the Panama Canal.
The decision to build a canal through Panama instead of Nicaragua, then the leading contender for a trans-isthmian waterway linking the Atlantic and the Pacific, hinged on a postage stamp. Frenchman Philippe Buanu-Varilla, lobbying for U.S. approval of the Panamanian route, sent a copy of a 1900 Nicaraguan stamp to every member of Congress in the summer of 1902.
Whether or not this stamp actually made Senators and Congressmen change their minds is debated. Less debatable, however, is that it was a theatrical part of the successful lobbying effort of Bunau-Varilla and the American William Nelson Cromwell. An engineer, Bunau-Varilla had both pride—he wanted to “vindicate French genius” says Charles D. Ameringer—and money invested in a Panamanian canal.
Source: JStore Daily
Copa Airlines Begins Nonstop Service Between Panama City and Denver.
Copa Airlines began nonstop flights Dec. 12, between Panama City and Denver, marking its 13th destination in the United States. The new nonstop flight connects Coloradoans to more than 55 destinations in Latin America through Copa’s Hub of the Americas in Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, Panama, and creates great opportunities for tourism and trade for Panama and the Latin American region in general.
Copa, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, will have its new flight CM 477 depart Denver on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 10:16 p.m., arriving at the Hub of the Americas in Panama at 6:02 a.m. the following morning. The return flight, CM 476, will depart Panama on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 11:50 a.m., arriving in Denver at 4:03 p.m. All times are local; flight time is approximately 5½-hours. The flight will be operated with a Boeing 737-800 Next-Generation aircraft, with seating capacity for 16 passengers in Business Class and 138 in the main cabin.
Source: Aviation Pros
Investing in Panama: Where you should put your money in 2018
It’s a new year, and that means lots of investing and financial planning for many people and businesses all over the world. Panama is heading into a big year as far as economic potential and growth, with plenty of great ways to invest your money in a variety of industries and markets.
It may sound like a broken record after years of real estate growth in Panama, but this market is still ripe for the taking. Panama real estate seemingly never stops growing, and in 2018 it will continue to do so. Look for more big suburban residential projects on the other side of the bridge in Arraijan and La Chorerra, as well as eastern Panama City suburbs, as the city prepares for the Metro system’s Line 2 and Line 3. Also look at the Carribbean coast for new development near Colon and the seemingly undeveloped beach areas around it for both hotel/vacation condos, and new retirement/expat communities.
Source: International Relocation Firm Blog
