Lean – conscious
Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry announced Caracas’ support for Panama in the context of US President-elect Donald Trump’s statement regarding the Panama Canal.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, “Venice confirms its firm commitment to Panama’s sovereignty over the canal, which was achieved thanks to the heroic efforts of President Omar Torrijos, who declared that the canal is the religion that unites Panamanians.”
It is worth mentioning that the United States has been managing the Panama Canal and controlling the area near it since the beginning of the twentieth century, and in 1977 an agreement was signed between the Presidents of the United States and Panama, Jimmy Carter and Omar Torrijos, regarding the transfer of canal to the Panamanian authorities, and all procedures related to the transfer were completed in 1999.
Donald Trump announced last Sunday that he would demand the return of US control of the canal due to high transportation tariffs, stressing the importance of the canal to American trade and the spread of naval forces the US in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
In response, the President of Panama, José Raul Molino, emphasized his country’s sovereignty over the canal, and several Latin American heads of state expressed their solidarity with Panama.
Source: Agencies