His Excellency Eduardo Fonseca, Ambassador of the Republic of Panama to the UAE revealed that a commercial office will open in the UAE later this year, which adds to the consulate of Panama’s four other offices in the country.
Fonseca dearly guaranteed the strong relationship between the two countries, pointing further future cooperation in all important matters.
In an exclusive interview with Robban Assafina Magazine, Fonseca highlighted the significance of the consulate’s offices local presence in the UAE, and their major role in knowing the local context of the country which enables a much faster response to clients.
Getting Closer
“Getting to know the local context and regulators is very important. So we are making lot of efforts into the technical side. We are doing quite a number of investments in the region in order to keep to our motto of “excellence in service”. We recently inaugurated our technical Segumar office in Dubai in January 2018, in addition to the regional office for seafarers. The purpose of these two offices is to have a local presence in matters and decisions that used to be outsourced largely to Panama. The embassy, the consulate, the Segumar technical office, and the regional office for seafarers along with the soon to come commercial office will sure strengthen our local presence and the ties between Panama and UAE,” Fonseca said.
Speaking of the maritime hub, Fonseca described UAE as spearheading, taking the leadership role for the region, mostly because of its connectivity, saying “We see this cooperation with UAE extending much beyond maritime affairs. There will be eyes and ears to different subjects in the region relating to economy, security, diplomacy. Our Falcon Policy is basically trying to find out the best practices, and how to adapt them to the Panamanian local context, and trying to take advantage of the UAE’s presence, using it as a gateway and entry to the rest of the region.” Last year the UAE opened their first Embassy in Panama and Dubai Chamber opened their regional office in Panama City.
Seafarers: A Top Priority
On the same level, Fonseca spoke of the importance of preserving safety of life at sea to maintain a sound regulatory environment that is at the same time pragmatic and beneficial for ship owners. “We want all concerned parties to be comfortable and that includes local regulators from different countries in the region.”
Fonseca also explained the consulate’s mission towards seafarers on a personal level. Referring to them as the cornerstone of the merchant marine world, he said “Apart from dealing with the political level of engaging and being involved in all the major treaties, we try to aid seafarers at a personal level. At the regional level, we have personally helped several distressed ships, several notorious cases, working together with different NGOs and syndicates like the ITF. I think it is our responsibility as a flag to go a step beyond and look at human rights’ issues and working together with all parties, bringing together local authorities, syndicates, ship owners, training centers and making sure the environment is healthy, where no crews have to fear for their lives. This is our responsibility and we do take it very seriously as a flag and a regulator.”
A Bright Future
On the other hand, the ambassador spoke optimistically of the maritime industry as a whole and its bright future, pointing out that it has become more specialized than before, redefining itself and trying to find new opportunities through globalization and connectivity. As for the current downturn, Fonseca said, “I see the current downturn more cyclical than a long term decline; I see every aspect of globalization increasing, with countries working closely together, despite what might be in my opinion temporary political noise.”