Panama's president rejects Trump's threats over Panama Canal
Photo: Panama's President José Raúl Mulino (facebook.com/joseraulmulino)
Panama's President José Raúl Mulino emphasized that the Panama Canal belongs to the country and rejected the possibility of any territorial concessions. He responded to a statement made by Donald Trump, who threatened to demand that Panama return control of this vital waterway to the United States, informs the New York Post.
The head of the Central American nation opposed Trump's suggestion that the U.S. might demand control over the Panama Canal after the newly elected US president takes office in January 2025.
Trump's claims were based on the argument that Panama allegedly charges excessive fees for using the waterway and criticized Panama's management of the canal.
"We’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we’re being ripped off everywhere else," said Trump on December 22, during a speech to a large audience at the Turning Point USA AmericaFest festival in Arizona.
According to Trump, "if the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question."
In response, Mulino clearly stated on his social media account that "every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to Panama, and will continue to."
The President of Panama stressed that "the sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable."
"Every Panamanian, here or anywhere in the world, carries it in their heart, and it is part of our history of struggle and irreversible conquest," he declared.
Fees for using the canal
Regarding the fees for using the canal, Mulino explained that tariffs set for shippers using the Panama Canal, through which 14,000 ships pass annually, are not arbitrary.
"They are and will be established, publicly and in an open audience, considering market conditions, international conditions, operating costs, and the maintenance and modernization needs of the interoceanic waterway," Panama's president said.
Trump's reaction to Mulino's statement
Trump reacted to Mulino's words about keeping the canal under Panama's control, responding on the social media platform Truth Social, "We’ll see about that!"
Note: The US built the Panama Canal in the early 1900s to help commercial and military ships travel between their coasts.
In 1999, the US relinquished ownership of the waterway, more than 20 years after then-President Jimmy Carter signed an agreement with Panama.
Other territorial "initiatives" by Trump
The 78-year-old Donald Trump's threat regarding control of the Panama Canal is not his first territorial claim.
He has previously expressed a desire for Canada to become a US state.
Additionally, earlier on Sunday, he proposed purchasing Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. This came amid the announcement of Ken Howery, PayPal co-founder, as the newly appointed US Ambassador to 5he Kingdom of Denmark.
In 2019, Trump confirmed the US's interest in buying Greenland during his first presidency.
It is also worth noting that in 2021, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the US had definitively abandoned its plans to purchase Greenland.
