President José Raúl Mulino rejected claims by the Trump administration that Panama had agreed to eliminate tolls for U.S. vessels using the Panama Canal. This denial occurred after Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Panama to limit Chinese influence, which Mulino responded to by not renewing an agreement related to China's Belt and Road Initiative. The Panama Canal Authority stated it retains the power to set tolls and is open to dialogue, contradicting U.S. assertions. Mulino emphasized the importance of truthful bilateral relations.
"I am very taken aback by yesterday's news release from the State Department. They are making important statements...based on a falsehood, and that's intolerable."
"Panama communicates to the world my absolute rejection of this method of managing bilateral relations on the basis of lies and falsehoods."
"It hasn't made any change to them, and the authority is open to establishing a dialogue with U.S. authorities about the matter."
"The United States signed a treaty in 1977 that gave Panama full control over the Canal, despite Trump's earlier comments about reclaiming it."
Collection
[
|
...
]