Panamanian statement on President Trump’s declared intention to take back control of Panama Canal

In a formal response to yesterday’s inaugural address of President Trump expressing the intention that the US should “take back” control of the Panama Canal, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino (pictured) issued the following statement:

“On behalf of the Republic of Panama and its people, I must categorically reject the remarks made by President Donald Trump regarding Panama and its Canal during his inaugural address. I reiterate what I expressed in my address to the nation on December 22: the Canal is and will continue to be Panama’s, and its administration will remain under Panamanian control, respecting its permanent neutrality. There is no presence of a foreign nation that interferes with our administration.

“The Canal was not a concession from anyone. It is the result of generational struggles that culminated in 1999 through the Torrijos-Carter Treaty. For the past 25 uninterrupted years, we have administered and expanded it responsibly to serve the world and its commerce, including the United States.

“We will exercise our rights underpinned by the legal foundation of the Treaty, the dignity that sets us apart, and the strength granted to us by International Law as the ideal framework for managing relations between nations – especially allied and friendly nations, as demonstrated by history and our interactions with the United States. Dialogue is always the path to clarify the aforementioned points without undermining our rights, our total sovereignty, and ownership of our Canal.”