President Jose Raul Mulino: "There is always room for dialogue, but sovereignty and ownership of the Panama Canal will remain with Panama."
The Panama Canal will remain under Panamanian control, assured Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino.
In a communiqué published on Monday by the Panamanian President's Office, he rejected on behalf of the people the words of US President Donald Trump about the Panama Canal from his inaugural speech, the Central Railways reports, citing Interfax-Ukraine.
"The canal is and will remain under the control of Panama and its administration," stressed José Raúl Mulino.
"The leadership of no other country in the world interferes in the work of our administration. The canal was not under anyone's concession. The struggle ended in 1999, and over the next 25 years we have continuously managed the canal, developing it for the benefit of trade and the whole world, including the United States," the statement said.
According to Mulino, there is always room for dialogue, but sovereignty and ownership of the Panama Canal will remain with Panama.
Even before his inauguration, in December 2024, Donald Trump said that the Panama Canal had set "excessive prices for passage" from American military and merchant ships. He demanded a reduction in fees, or the return of the canal to the United States.
Previously, the Panama Canal Authority considered the possibility of building the Rio Indio Dam to ensure a stable water supply for the canal's operation in the face of climate change and to prevent its shallowing.