Panama responds to Donald Trump after his threat to recover the canal: “They are not negotiable”

The Panamanian president, José Raúl Mulino, stated this Sunday that the interoceanic canal “is Panamanian and will continue to be so,” in response to the threat from the president-elect of the United States, the Republican Donald Trump
, that it will demand its return if the rates charged for its transit are not reduced.

“My fellow countrymen, as president I want to express precisely that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas belongs to Panama and will continue to be so. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable,” Mulino said in a video broadcast by the Government.

(Read also: Gustavo Petro expressed his support for Panama in the face of Donald Trump’s threat regarding the canal
).

The route that connects the Atlantic and the Pacific and through which nearly 3% of world trade passes, It is part of the “history of struggle and an irreversible conquest” of Panama, the ruler stated.

The Panama Canal was built by the United States, which inaugurated it in 1914 and administered it until its transfer to the Panamanian State on December 31, 1999, as established in the Torrijos-Carter Treaties signed on September 7, 1977 in Washington by the then presidents, the Panamanian Omar Torrijos (1929-1981) and the American Jimmy Carter (1977-1981).

Trump, who will take office on January 20, complained on Saturday and also this Sunday about the “exorbitant” tariffs. and the management of the Panama Canal, and threatened to demand its “return” if the “moral and legal” principles are not respected.

He also criticized former President Carter, who “foolishly gave it (the canal) away for a dollar during his term,” and again claimed that China has interference in the administration of the waterway, of which the United States is the main user.

Neither the rates are a whim, nor the powers interfere

Mulino, who assumed the Presidency on July 1 for the five-year period 2024-2029, highlighted that “since it has been in Panamanian hands the canal has grown, it is managed by qualified professionals, who with clear rules are in charge of its operation, conservation and maintenance. , ensuring its safe, continuous, efficient and profitable operation.”

“The rates are not a whim, they are established publicly and in an open audience, considering market conditionsinternational competition, operating costs and the maintenance and modernization needs of the interoceanic waterway,” he stated.

The Panama Canal, which faced a serious drought that forced it to restrict the passage of ships for months, delivered this week to the treasury a contribution of $2,470.7 million corresponding to fiscal year 2024.

HANDOUT/AFP

Mulino also asserted that “the channel has no direct or indirect control from China, the European Community, the United States or any other power.”

“As a Panamanian, I strongly reject any manifestation that distorts this reality and (the canal) will continue to be in Panamanian hands as the inalienable heritage of our nation and guaranteeing its use for the peaceful and uninterrupted transit of ships from all nations, as established by the Constitution and the Neutrality Treaty,” he added.

(Read also: Putin challenges the United States to a duel in Ukraine to use his new missiles.)

Panama aspires to a respectful relationship with the United States.

Mulino asserted that “Panama respects other nations and demands respect,” and that with the new United States government it aspires “to preserve and maintain a respectful relationship.” The United States is Panama’s main trading partner and political ally.

Security issues such as illegal migration, drug trafficking, terrorism and organized crime “must be a priority on our bilateral agenda, since they are a real threat that should worry us a lot,” said the Panamanian head of state.

Every year thousands of irregular migrants travel through Panama traveling to the US. The Central American country already refused during Trump’s first presidency (2017-2021) to welcome this population while processing visas to enter the US, an initiative that The Republican leader intends to revive.

“We are a country open to dialogue, today and always, to investments and good relations, but with the clear slogan that the country comes first. That for this Panamanian president is not negotiable,” he concluded.

Petro speaks out supporting Panama

President Gustavo Petro, through his X account, wrote that “until the last consequences” he will be on the side of Panama and the defense of its sovereignty.

“If the new US government wants to talk about business, we will talk about business, face to face, and for the benefit of our people, but dignity will never be negotiated. President Trump has been wrong and contradicted. “If you do not want myriads passing through the Darién, increased by millions from Panama to Mexico, you must understand that it will depend on the prosperity and freedom of our people,” he wrote.

And he added that, if Trump “finds it expensive to pay to pass through the Panama Canal in the hands of Panamanians, “It will be much more costly to plunge Panama, South America, Central America or Mexico into poverty.”

“If they don’t want us in the US, we must make all the Americas prosperous in independence, freedom and democratic dignity.”