WHILE THE DAY LONG  inauguration of the third set of locks of the Panama Canal dragged on,  President Juan Carlos Varela  and his Vice President took time out  to sign trade and diplomatic agreements with several countries that have been left hanging.

He  met with representatives of Paraguay, South Korea and Jamaica to sign bilateral agreements.

, Varela and his counterpart from Paraguay, Horacio Cartes, resolved to strengthen the air connectivity between the two countries and increase the presence of Paraguayan businessmen in Panama for the purchase of merchandise from the Colón Free Zone.

In addition, the two leaders agreed to strengthen agreements on security, trade and agriculture reports La Prensa

Varela talked about energy and the position of Panama as a maritime and logistics hub with Korean Minister of Transport Kang Ho-In.

In a meeting with Jamaican officials, he addressed issues relating to education, tourism and joint cooperation. Varela raised the possibility of Panamanian students traveling to Jamaica to study English and the possibility of strengthening tourism between the two nations.

Similarly, both countries signed an agreement for the establishment of a joint commission for cooperation.

This agreement seeks to promote cooperation between the two countries in areas of trade, tourism, environment, training and development of human resources, as well as technical and cultural cooperation.