This is how the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (Cciap) pronounced this week after the presidential sanction of the law that ratifies the incorporation of Panama as a Mercosur Associated State. The President of the Republic, Jos\u00e9 Ra\u00fal Mulino, signed the rule last Monday, October 13, after its unanimous approval in the National Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the Cciap, this alliance represents “a great opportunity for our country.” In its weekly column\u00a0La C\u00e1mara Opina<\/strong>, the union stressed that “becoming a Mercosur Associate State is not a symbolic title, but a strategic decision that opens the door to new opportunities for trade, investment and employment.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The organization recalled that the regional bloc represents a joint economy of more than 270 million inhabitants and is the fifth largest economy in the world. In addition, Panama already maintains a trade exchange with the countries that make it up for more than 564 million dollars a year, the union said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n