Indian Ambassador to Panama
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India–Panama relations refer to the bilateral relations between India and Panama.
Panama is the first country in Central America where India established a resident embassy in 1973. Panama has an embassy in New Delhi, and a consulate-general in Mumbai.
The Indian-Panamanian connection is the oldest in the Central American region, dating back to the middle of the 19th century when groups of Indians, particularly Sikh immigrants, came to Panama to work on the construction of Panama railways and later the Panama Canal in the early 20th century.
There are about 15,000 Indians, including those of Indian origin, in Panama, constituting the largest concentration of overseas Indians in Central America. The Indian community, predominantly from the Gujarat, is mostly involved in wholesale and retail trade.
A Gurdwara was built in 1986 in Panama City under the non-profit organization Sociedad Guru Nanak to serve as a place of worship for the Sikh Community in Panama. The growth of the Indian community has flourished with the constructions of the Gurdwara, Mandir, Mosques and Bahá'í Temple.
Under the administration of President Ricardo Martinelli, the Government of Panama announced that Indian nationals who possess a visa for USA, any country of EU, Canada or Australia, will be granted a tourism visa for Panama upon arrival.
In November 2010, Alberto Vallarino Clement, Panamanian Minister of Economy and Finance visited India for the World Economic Forum meeting in New Delhi. Following the visit, India's Speaker of Parliament, Meira Kumar led a 20-member Parliamentary delegation to Panama in April 2011 to participate in the 124th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly.
In 2011 and 2012, Indian government ministers Sachin Pilot, Vayalar Ravi, and E. Ahamed visited Panama. Milind Deora visited Panama in early 2013 to finalize a bilateral Maritime Cooperation Agreement between India and Panama. Also, cooperation over IT & E-Governance, cyber security and training, and Indian space agency ISRO's proposed TTC station in Panama were discussed.
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