Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino Quintero defended the Panama Canal, coveted by Donald Trump, on Wednesday in Davos (GR). The canal is “not a gift” he declared, recalling how much Central America depends on it.
“The Panama Canal was not a concession or a gift from the United States,” the leader declared during a round table organized at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. “The Panama Canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to it,” he reaffirmed.
Panama is a unique country due to its geographical position, because it connects South America to Central America, continued the head of state.
There is the United States, then China, of course, but three other countries rely on Panama and its canal, he explained. Questioned at the exit, the leader did not want to indicate whether he had spoken with the American president inaugurated on Monday.
Also present, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte said she had congratulated the American Republican. The leader, targeted by an investigation, must be judged at the end of her mandate in 2026.
-Panama’s “property” canal
In his speech, Donald Trump reiterated his threat to “take back” control of the Panama Canal, a waterway between the Atlantic and the Pacific built by the United States, inaugurated in 1914 and transferred to Panama in 1999.
“The canal belongs and will continue to belong to Panama,” the Panamanian president immediately reacted. The country’s mission to the UN expressed concern in a letter sent to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday.
China stressed that it had “never interfered” in matters related to the Panama Canal. “Panama’s sovereignty and independence are not subject to negotiation, and the canal should not be subject to any direct or indirect control of major powers,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said at a regular press conference.
This article was automatically published. Source: ats
