Panama, August 23, 2025. - On his second day of tour in the Republic of Barbados, the Minister of Culture, María Eugenia Herrera, participated in the opening of the Colombian Embassy where she met with his brother's vice president, France Márquez, also had an opportunity to greet Barbados's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds.

Subsequently, Minister Herrera paid a courtesy visit to Senator Chantal Munroe- Knight, with whom she talked about the bilateral agenda with respect to cultural matters and to whom she expressed the interest of the President of the Republic of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, to continue strengthening the historic ties of friendship and cooperation with Barbados.

During all these meetings and with the Panama Ambassador to Barbados Xiomara Pérez, ideas about cultural collaboration projects have been exchanged among countries.

Previously, Minister María Eugenia Herrera had held a meeting with Isiuwa Iyahen, Deputy Representative and Chief of Interim Multicountry Office of UN Women for the Caribbean at the diplomatic mission of Panama.

At the meeting they discussed the UN's programs in Barbados and shared experiences and good practice with respect to cooperation issues that could be implemented in Panama. At the end of the meeting they agreed with the importance of advances in women's rights as an essential pillar for development and with the Minister of Education and Educational Transformation of Barbados, Chad Blackman, with whom they interacted with about potential collaborations in education.

The Minister of Culture of Panama travelled to the Republic of Barbados, representing President José Raúl Mulino's government, to participate in the Caribbean Arts Festival, CARIFESTA, in its version 15, with the motto "Caribbean Roots, global excellence." It's an event designed to ensure that creative energy, strategic alliances and cultural dialogue translate into tangible and sustainable growth for artists and cultural industries throughout the region.

Those meetings strengthen the links of cooperation and cultural exchange and promote initiatives that enrich our cultural identities and expressions.