U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd L) and First Lady Melania Trump (1st L) welcome Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela (2nd R) and his wife Lorena Castillo at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, June 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)
WASHINGTON, June 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump held talks with Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela at the White House on Monday, hailing the "very strong" relationship between the two countries.
"Things are going well in Panama. The relationship has been very strong," Trump said during a bilateral meeting with Varela.
The two countries "are developing new things to do and only getting stronger," Trump added.
The focus of the talks between Trump and Varela include their shared priorities in the fight against transnational organized crime, illegal migration, and illicit substances, according the White House.
During the meeting, Varela noted that Panama and the U.S. face the "same challenges" in the region.
"So the idea of this visit is to work closely together to face the same challenges that we have in the region of Central America and Latin America and in our continent," the Panamanian president said.
