The president of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, said in a statement that the sovereignty of the canal is non-negotiable, which received the support of countries such as China, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Chile and Venezuela, among others.
Panamanian social organizations carried out demonstrations in front of the US embassy and demanded that the head of state call Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte to account.
In statements to Prensa Latina, the spokesman for the alliance Pueblo Unido por la Vida and general secretary of the construction workers’ union, Saúl Méndez, stressed that the sovereignty of Panama and its canal is defended in the streets. “Trump and his imperial delirium cannot claim even a single centimeter of land in Panama,” he said, adding that if in 1903 the traitorous oligarchy handed over the construction of the maritime route, the presence of US troops and adjacent lands in perpetuity, the organized people shed their generous blood and recovered their territory.
Regarding the declaration of three former presidents of Panama in defense of sovereignty, Méndez said he felt ashamed to see how Ernesto Pérez Balladares (1994-1999), who tried to maintain US military bases during his administration; Mireya Moscoso (1999-2004) and her Salas-Becker Treaties to expand maritime cooperation against drug trafficking; or Martin Torrijos (2004-2009) who remilitarized the Police under instructions from Washington, now stand as champions of independence.
The survivors and relatives of the martyrs of January 9th, 1964, who gave their lives and faced unspeakable sacrifices in defense of national sovereignty, also raised their voices in a statement, pointing out that the canal is a symbol of struggle, dignity and national pride, and will continue to be the heritage of the Panamanian people.
For its part, the Panama Canal Institute and International Studies of the University of Panama urged the government to begin an international campaign to add allies and adherents to the Neutrality Treaty, considering that Trump’s threats constitute an essential argument for Panama to address the international community seeking to achieve an independent foreign policy in spaces such as the United Nations Organization (UN) or the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) itself.
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