"Panama President Jose Raul Mulino said that someone at the United States Embassy has been threatening to cancel the visas of Panamanian officials. Responding to a reporter's question at his weekly news conference, Mulino said without offering evidence that an official at the US Embassy is threatening to take visas, adding that such actions are not coherent with the good relationship I aspire to maintain with the United States. He did not name the official."
"The Trump administration has previously declined to comment on individual visa decisions. But in September, the US Department of State said in a statement that the country was committed to countering China's influence in Central America. It added that it would restrict visas for people who maintained relationships with China's Communist Party or undermined democracy in the region on behalf of China."
"Earlier this week, the Trump administration revoked the visas of six foreigners deemed by US officials to have made derisive comments or made light of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last month. Similar cases have surfaced recently in the region. In April, former Costa Rica President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias said the US had cancelled his visa."
Panama's president said a United States Embassy official threatened to cancel visas for Panamanian officials and called such actions inconsistent with the good relationship he hopes to maintain with the United States. He provided no evidence and did not identify the embassy official. The US Embassy did not immediately comment and the Trump administration typically declines to discuss individual visa decisions. The US State Department stated it seeks to counter China's influence in Central America and would restrict visas for those tied to China's Communist Party or acting to undermine regional democracy. Recent regional visa revocations have increased sensitivity, given the strategic Panama Canal.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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