Mulino defends Panama Canal neutrality at the UN and management in Panamanian hands

United Nations.- The President of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, defended this Wednesday before the General Assembly of the UN the neutrality of the Panama Canal, enshrined in a historic treaty of 1977, as well as the management of the route in Panamanian hands for more than 25 years.

"I cannot miss this opportunity to highlight that we have completed a quarter of a century since our canal passed into Panamanian hands. As of December 31, 1999, the Republic of Panama assumed the works and operation of the canal with efficiency, safety, sustainability, and neutrality," said Mulino. He emphasized that the Panamanian State has "exemplarily administered the waterway (...) and operated the canal for the benefit of international navigation", in addition to "expanding the interoceanic route with its own resources to meet the demand for large ships".

Mulino responds to Trump on the Panama Canal at the UN

Mulino's words come after US President Donald Trump made public months ago his intention to "recover" the Panama Canal due to the alleged Chinese influence over the route, which strained bilateral relations and fueled a clash between Washington and Beijing. "Neutrality is the most appropriate formula to protect the security of our channel, a global utility, the Panama Canal, neutral and open to the world and facilitator of a more integrated international trade, is and will remain Panamanian," Mulino said. The U.S. built the Canal in the early 20th century and operated it for more than eight decades, until its transfer to Panama 25 years ago, as established by the Torrijos-Carter Treaties of 1977. The waterway is governed by a Neutrality Treaty that has been in effect since October 1979 and has been signed by more than 40 states and territories.

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Mulino calls for addressing the causes of migration

Mulino, who assumed power in July 2024, again highlighted his government's management of the migration crisis that affected the Darién in recent years, and which he faced by closing the paths in that jungle bordering Colombia, although he acknowledged that the causes that originated the massive migration of people "have not been solved.

The crisis in the Darién reached its worst point in 2023 by registering the record figure of more than 500,000 irregular migrants who have crossed the jungle towards the north of the continent.

But after Mulino came to power in Panama and Trump to the presidency of the U.S., last January 20, with his renewed immigration policy based on mass detentions and deportations, the migratory flow plummeted. "That our country has resolved this scourge does not mean that we should cease in the request for concrete answers, as in the case of the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which faces uncontrolled migration that also impacts the entire region. It is essential to find clear solutions for both the Haitian crisis and the effective control of the migratory flow," Mulino pointed out.