MEXICO CITY, Dec 24: In response to US President-elect Donald Trump’s comments expressing a desire to reclaim the Panama Canal for American control, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum voiced Mexico’s support for Panama.
“We stand in solidarity with the president of Panama, who has affirmed that the Panama Canal is rightfully Panamanian,” Sheinbaum stated to the press on Monday.
Concurrently, various trade unions and social groups staged a protest outside the Panamanian legislature against Trump’s remarks.
“We denounce Donald Trump’s threats. This is Panamanian territory, and we will safeguard it [the canal],” said Saul Mendez, Secretary General of the Panamanian National Union of Workers in Construction and Similar Industries, in a statement to RIA Novosti.
Protesters also burned the US flag, labeling Trump as an adversary of Panama.
On Sunday, Trump declared that he would seek a rapid reclamation of the Panama Canal due to excessive tolls for its use. He emphasized the canal’s significance for US trade and the swift positioning of US Navy forces in both the Atlantic and Pacific regions, noting that the US accounts for over 72% of all canal traffic.
In response to Trump’s declaration, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino stressed that the nation’s sovereignty is non-negotiable and that the canal is completely owned by Panama as per the 1977 treaty.
The Panama Canal is an artificial waterway located in Panama, Central America, that traverses the Isthmus of Panama and links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is recognized as one of the most crucial international transportation channels. (UNI)
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