Panama President ratchets up nationalism ahead of mine talks
Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino stepped up nationalist rhetoric toward a shuttered copper mine in the country as his administration prepares to negotiate a potential restart with operator First Quantum Minerals.
The mine belongs to Panama and any potential reopening would involve significant involvement from the country, Mulino said Thursday at a weekly press briefing in Panama City. He said both sides have started to establish the “necessary contacts” for talks to begin.
“That mine belongs to Panama, no one else,” the president said. “If the decision is to exploit it, Panama will do that — with an operator that is in charge of the technical aspects.”
Mulino is trying to navigate anti-mining sentiment in Panama at a time when a resumption of mining would bring a much-needed boost to the economy. He said any restart options would bypass Congress to avoid triggering the kind of mass protests that led to the mine’s closure in 2023. A contract extension approved by the legislature in 2023 was followed by weeks of protests.
“I have the responsibility of managing this with prudence,” Mulino said. “We are going to do it, accordingly, based on an economic benefit that the country desperately needs.”
Comments
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
We are responsible manufacturers of essential components. Manufacturing 80 million parts a week, we have over 1 billion parts in stock.
VISIT SHOWROOM
We supply customers with practical affordable solutions for their testing needs. Our products include benchtop, portable, in-line process control...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
