Official Statement Regarding the Panama Canal
The Embassy and General Consulate of the Republic of Panama in the Hellenic Republic has the honor to convey the official position of the Republic of Panama regarding recent remarks concerning the Panama Canal.
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.
José Raúl Mulino
President of the Republic of Panama
