The President of the Republic of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, stated on Friday, February 7 that his government will safeguard the country’s interests while emphasizing that its priority is to maintain and strengthen the historical bilateral relations with the United States (U.S.), which —he warned— cannot be managed “on the basis of falsehoods.”
To remind, the U.S. Department of State said last week that Panama’s government agreed to no longer charge crossing fees for U.S. government vessels, in a move that would save the U.S. millions of dollars a year.
During his Thursday press conference, held at the Amphitheater of the Palacio de Las Garzas, President Mulino once again rejected the repeated “falsehoods”, as he said, spread about the Central American country and the Panama Canal, especially in response to the recent statement from the U.S. Department of State regarding the passage of vessels through the interoceanic route.
“I am extremely surprised by the State Department’s statement yesterday (Wednesday) because they are issuing important, institutional communications from the entity that oversees U.S. foreign policy under the President of the United States, based on a falsehood, and that is intolerable. Plain and simple, intolerable. Today, Panama, through you (the media) and the world, expresses my absolute rejection of continuing to explore managing bilateral relations on the basis of lies and falsehoods,” he declared.
He added that, as president, he does not have the legal or constitutional authority to intervene in matters related to the setting of tolls for the Panama Canal. Article 76 of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Law, along with Article 319, Section 2 of the Political Constitution, establishes that neither the government nor the Authority may exempt payment of tolls, fees, or rates for services provided by the Canal, he explained.
He also announced that he has instructed the Panamanian Foreign Ministry to disseminate the statement issued on Wednesday by the ACP, which is “clear,” through diplomatic channels to all the country’s ambassadors, “with special emphasis on the Panamanian Embassy in Washington.”
President Mulino confirmed that this same stance was explained to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, with whom he had a “very good, very clear, and very positive” telephone conversation on Wednesday afternoon.
As in the recent meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Panama’s interest in continuing to cooperate in areas under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense, such as migration issues, was part of the discussion.
He also shared with Hegseth the positive results of the National Government’s efforts, through the security agencies, to address the migratory situation in the Darién jungle.
President Mulino detailed that so far in February of this year, 47 migrants have entered the country, which is a “record” compared to the 2,229 recorded last January.
“Panama’s interests are very clear, and we will safeguard them as necessary, in both bilateral and international arenas. Our relationship with the United States is a good one; it is our main trading partner and the main user of the Canal. That relationship is important, and it is my priority to keep it that way. I do not have, nor do I want to have, any differences with the United States beyond what is necessary. It is our main partner, and I understand its strategic importance as a nation,” President Mulino emphasized, clarifying that his decision regarding China and the Belt and Road Initiative was made long before Secretary Rubio’s recent visit.
