The Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated in a statement that this interoceanic means was conquered by the heroic effort of President Omar Torrijos, who said that “the canal is the religion that unites Panamanians.”

With this he reflected “his firm commitment to the sovereignty of his country that consecrated him as a true patriot of our America,” the note said.

The text proudly recalled the words of Simon Bolivar, who upon learning of Panama’s independence said: “I cannot express the feeling of joy and admiration that I have experienced upon learning that Panama, the center of the Universe, is segregated by itself, and free by its own virtue.”

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