Panamanian leader refuses Trump’s claim to "recover" Panama Canal
Date
1/21/2025 2:35:42 AM
(MENAFN) Panamanian Leader Jose Raul Mulino on Monday rejected the claims made by US leader Donald Trump regarding the Panama Canal, emphasizing that the waterway "is and will continue to be Panama’s." Mulino's remarks came in response to Trump’s inaugural speech, where he suggested that the US would "recover" the canal, a statement that has sparked strong reactions in Panama.
"On behalf of the Republic of Panama and its people, I must reject in a comprehensive manner the words outlined by President Donald Trump regarding Panama and its Canal," Mulino said, underscoring that the Panama Canal remains under Panamanian control. "The Canal is and will continue to be Panama’s, and its administration will continue to be under Panamanian control with respect to its permanent neutrality."
Trump’s speech included a controversial claim that China was operating the canal, and he suggested that the US had given it to Panama but would now take it back. However, Mulino clarified that no foreign nation is involved in the administration of the canal.
“There is no presence of any nation in the world that interferes with our administration,” he affirmed, adding that the canal was not a concession but the product of historical struggles that led to the Torrijos-Carter Treaty in 1999 between Panamanian President Omar Torrijos and US President Jimmy Carter.
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