Ricardo Alberto Arias (born 11 September 1939 in Panama City, Panama) was the Panamanian Ambassador to the United Nations, serving from 2004 to 2009. He is also a founding member and partner of Galindo, Arias and Lopez law firm, and is a member of the Panamanian Bar Association, the Interamerican Bar Association, and the International Bar Association.
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Arias holds a Bachelor of Science degree in foreign service from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Puerto Rico, and a Master of Laws degree from Yale University.
From 1973 to 1978, Arias was a Professor of Fiscal Law and Administration Law at Santa Maria La Antigua University in Panama. In 1994, he was appointed Ambassador of Panama to the United States, and from 1996 to 1998, he served as the Foreign Minister of Panama. In 1968 he helped found the law firm of Galindo, Arias, López y Arias (GALA).
He is also a founding director and former President of the Panamanian stock exchange (Bolsa de Valores de Panamá) and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Banco General de Panama and Copa Airlines. Arias was the founder of the newspaper La Prensa, and served as the paper’s Chairman of the Board.