Cortizo replaces Foreign Minister without giving reasons

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Cortizo replaces Foreign Minister without giving reasons

Posted 11/10/2022

The office of the Presidency in a surprise announcement on Monday, October 10, named  Janaina Tewaney Mencomo, until now Minister of Government, as Foreign Minister, replacing Erika Mouynes.

The Presidency gave no reason for Mouynes's departure, but in a press release, it thanked her for her services  to the country, "which have contributed both to the strengthening of the foreign service and to Panama's foreign relations."

With the appointment, there are already been three foreign ministers in the government of Laurentino Cortizo, since he took office on July 1, 2019.

The first was Alejandro Ferrer, who on December 2, 2020, was replaced by the until-then Vice  Minister for Foreign Affairs Multilaterals and Cooperation, Erika Mouynes.

At that time, Tewaney was an adviser to Ferrer and also advised Cortizo on some official missions.

Tewaney, 38, was Minister of Government since March 6, 2020, after Carlos Romero and Sheyla Grajales passed through that position. It has not been said who will now occupy the position that Tewaney leaves available.

Like Ferrer and Mouynes, she is a lawyer. She was present at the dialogue table in Penonomé, installed in July after the intense street protests that paralyzed the country for a month.

The new chancellor received her law degree in 2006, at the University of Panama. She also holds two master's degrees: one in international political law from Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, and another in arbitration, mediation and dispute resolution from Hong Kong University.

She was a negotiator of free trade agreements between April and December 2009. She is a member of the PRD.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/cortizo-replaces-foreign-minister-without-giving-reasons

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Replaced Minister’s letter to Cortizo revealed

Erika Mouynes

Posted 11/10/2022

On Tuesday, the day after  Erika Mouynes was replaced as Minister of Foreign Affairs, the content of a letter she sent to President Cortizo, was revealed.

“ After more than three years of fulfilling the extraordinary task and great responsibility of serving my country from the Foreign Ministry, I present my Portfolio today with the satisfaction of having achieved the goals I set for myself, fulfilling the task of managing international relations consistent with reality and national interests ”, reads the first paragraph of the letter.

The actions to defend the image of Panama due to the questioning of a tax haven and the action plan to guarantee a successful vaccination plan against COVID-19 were part of the achievements listed by the former foreign minister who was surprisingly replaced in office by the former Minister of Government, Janaina Tewaney Mencono, on the afternoon of Monday, October 10, reports TVN.

"With a clear conscience, I know that I have looked after the interests of my country, a country that I will not renounce and for which I will continue working, in pursuit of the more egalitarian and just future that society demands. Mr. President, receive my thanks and affection for having allowed me the unequaled honor of serving my country, ”says the letter.

Mouynes, who during her administration was characterized by diplomacy for the benefit of Panama's interests, with the US government the main ally in terms of trade and strategic support in matters of security and migration.

" With the US, we have held more than 60 meetings with senior officials, congressmen, and senators, consolidating an excellent relationship that, according to the Secretary of State, in Washington, and here, the Chargé d'Affaires, "is at its best historic moment". This has meant that finally, after 5 years, Panama already has an appointed ambassador soon to arrive and our request to speed up the visa process for athletes and humanitarian cases was met ", Mouynes highlights.

Panama's actions in favor of gender equality and the fight against climate change were also discussed. The former foreign minister recalled the episode with the Mexican government in which the figure of an ambassador accused of sexual harassment against students was rejected.

" My speech was consistent and was demonstrated by the firm positions we took against the reception in Panama of an ambassador accused of abuse. I did not hesitate to raise my voice with a call for attention and help in the face of the escalation of teenage pregnancies that we registered and that evidences the worrying reality of our young women and girls (...) We also participated in the fight against the climate crisis. We devised and developed the first "climate diplomacy", which remains a legacy for your Foreign Ministry, and for the country, which is now associated around the world with the conservation of our exceptional natural heritage, and we established key international partnerships that have earned us global recognition and the attention of generous donors ."

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/replaced-ministers-letter-to-cortizo-revealed