WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao and Panama are preparing to formally launch a new economic cooperation framework this week, with ministers from both countries expected to sign a Letter of Intent covering trade, logistics, investment, regional supply chains and food security.
The agreement will be signed following the first Panama-Curaçao Dialogue on Trade, Logistics and Investment on August 20.
Panama’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Julio Moltó and Curaçao Minister of Economic Development Roderick Middelhof will hold bilateral talks after the dialogue before signing the Letter of Intent.
The agreement is intended to formally establish the Panama-Curaçao economic dialogue and create a path toward additional roundtable discussions, a future Memorandum of Understanding and a bilateral action plan.
One of Curaçao’s main objectives is to strengthen economic resilience by developing more regional sourcing options.
The government wants to explore whether more high-quality and competitively priced products can be sourced closer to Curaçao, while simultaneously creating new trade and distribution flows between Latin America, Curaçao and other Caribbean markets.
The planned Letter of Intent specifically identifies stronger regional supply chains and food security as areas for cooperation.
For Curaçao, Panama’s position as a major international logistics hub is considered strategically important.
The Panama Canal, Colón Free Zone and extensive distribution infrastructure give the country access to a wide range of suppliers and international trade routes.
Curaçao hopes that stronger ties with Panama can reduce dependence on more distant supply markets while expanding options for local importers and consumers.
At the same time, the Curaçao government wants to position the island as a potential distribution platform for goods moving from Latin America toward smaller Caribbean markets.
The dialogue will also address cooperation between free-trade zones, investment promotion, maritime and air connectivity, and measures to make bilateral commerce more efficient.
Middelhof said Panama could provide Curaçao with access to competitively priced products and new suppliers while Curaçao’s geographic position could create opportunities for onward trade and distribution throughout the Caribbean.
The initiative follows Middelhof’s April visit to Panama, during which he proposed a more permanent economic dialogue between the two countries.
The government says the reciprocal visits illustrate its broader regional strategy: opening institutional doors, building relationships with nearby growth markets and translating those contacts into practical opportunities for trade, investment, logistics and economic resilience.