“The sovereignty of our canal is not negotiable and is part of the history of our struggle,” Martinez-Acha said, noting that Panamanian President José Raul Mulino had made his position clear.
Trump warned in late December that his administration may seek to regain control of the Panama Canal.
At a rally in Phoenix on Dec. 22, Trump said the U.S. had foolishly ceded control to Panama, meaning ships had to pay what he called a foolish toll to travel through the canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
On December 31, 1999, the USA handed over the waterway, which is important in world trade, to the control of Panama.
The grandiose canal was built by the Americans between 1904 and 1914, after the initial French attempt had failed.
Returning the canal was one of the deals concluded in 1977 by then US President Jimmy Carter and former Panamanian President Omar Torrijos.
“If the moral and legal principles of this generous gift are not upheld, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States in full, quickly and without question,” Trump said.
He did not explain how regaining control of the channel would be possible.