Heads up – Embassy 21 – December 2009

Hats off to Panama

Gilberto Arias has quite the political pedigree. Panama's new Ambassador to London hails from one of the Central American country's most powerful families that has produced no fewer than two presidents in the last century.

His father was twice finance minister, and his flamboyant uncle, Roberto "Tito" Arias, has a colourful diplomatic history. Posted twice to London as Panama's Ambassador, he was married to Britain's Prima Ballerina, Dame Margot Fonteyn, and the two formed quite the celebrity couple on the diplomatic circuit in the 1950s, mingling with the likes of John Wayne.

Tito was also known for his unorthodox diplomacy, reveals Arias: "He found the diplomatic society to be a bit stiff, so he'd do forward rolls in white tie and tails at formal events, just to loosen thing up a bit!"

While the Ambassador has no plans to engage in acrobatics on the circuit, the Cambridge-educated, self-confessed "fanatical rower" is well qualified to raise Panama's profile in the UK in other ways. Something of a polymath, he has run a media empire back home; he managed one of Panama's top football clubs and started up a charity for inner city children; he's served on the board of directors of Capital Bank, is passionate about sustainable architecture and conservation – and he has a soft spot for vintage Aston Martins.

The Ambassador is also very familiar with the UK, having lived and worked here as a commercial lawyer, focusing on the shipping industry, which gives him a good grasp of maritime issues, an important facet of Panamanian diplomacy with the IMO being headquartered in London.

As home to the Panama canal and the largest shipping register in the world, Panama takes its role of improving the efficiency and safety in shipping very seriously, he says: "In Panama we try to put together conditions in order for the industry to thrive and be competitive."

Next year marks the tenth anniversary of the handover of the Panama Canal, and, with a huge US$5bn project to widen the canal underway, the Ambassador is pleased his country has been able to manage its biggest asset so efficiently. "We're very proud of the fact that it is changing people lives not only in Panama but around the world."

Just recently, Alberto Alemán Zubietaa, the Panama Canal Authority Administrator, was awarded the International Maritime Prize, in recognition of his contribution to maritime safety, pollution prevention and security.

But Panama isn't just about the Canal, adds Arias, who worked closely with Juan Carlos Varela, Panama's vice-president and foreign minister, on foreign policy priorities of the newly-elected conservative government – which bucked the Latin American trend towards leftwing governments.

But the Ambassador prefers to describe the new government as a "right-wing progressive government" which takes its cue from the president, Ricardo Martinelli, a self-made man. Panama's roaring economy over the past few years has seen the divide between rich and poor grow and a key pledge of the new government is to distribute the proceeds of this economic growth more evenly, while creating an environment to encourage further growth, by liberalising trade and attracting foreign investment, particularly in a number of new infrastructure projects.

With its cosmopolitan capital, Panama also wants to become a cultural and educational hub of Central America. "We have converted an old army base into the City of Knowledge. English is widely spoken and we are very fortunate not to suffer from earthquakes, hurricanes or volcanoes, so it is the perfect place to study Latin American politics, tropical sciences, conservation or climate change," he says.

The Ambassador is passionate about conservation – he was part of a huge project to create an important national park in Panama and is now a member of Panama's National Association for Conservation (ANCON).

Speaking to Embassy on the eve of the Copenhagen Summit, he says technology is the key to solving the climate change challenge without retarding development in poor nations. "In Panama we align with the philosophy of having a common but differentiated response between the different countries. It is unfair to expect non-industrialised nations to make the same cuts as developed nations. But what you can do is provide funding and technology so that they will be able to figure out a greener development path."

With so many varied interests, the Ambassador can't wait to roll up his sleeves and get started, but then he checks himself: "There is a saying in Panama: 'Nothing makes more noise than an old car and a new civil servant!'" Possibly – but not if the old car is a classic Aston Martin and the new civil servant is Gilberto Arias.