U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth credited Panama President José Raúl Mulino on Tuesday with improving security cooperation between their nations after the two men met. Hegseth did not comment as he left the meeting to head to a ribbon cutting for a new U.

The secretary will hold bilateral meetings with senior civilian, military, and security leaders in an attempt to strengthen regional partnerships and move closer to “our shared vision for a peaceful and secure Western Hemisphere,” the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, said announcing the trip.