Rubion was also scheduled to visit the Panama Canal. He is expected to put pressure on the land with demands on the channel.
US Foreign Minister Marco Rubion met on Sunday Panama President Jose Raul Mulino. Rubion was also supposed to visit the Panama Canal.
The main theme of Rubio’s journey is immigration, but the Foreign Minister was also expected to put pressure on Panama on Sunday Donald Trump With the requirement that the Panama channel should be returned to the United States.
The Panama Canal has become an important issue for Trump. He has not agreed to exclude the channel to take over the United States.
Rubio arrived in Panama late Saturday for local time. This is Rubio’s first trip abroad in its new post.
On Thursday until the beginning of the week in Central America, Rubio will also visit El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Dominican Republic.
“We’re going to fight”
On Sunday, it was still unclear what Rubio could achieve in the negotiations that would appeal to Trump. Panama has firmly opposed Trump’s demands.
President of the country Mulino has said that he does not even intend to discuss the abandonment of the channel with the United States.
– It’s sure. The channel belongs to Panama, Mulino told journalists on Thursday.
On Friday, the capital of Panama also saw several protests against Trump’s threats. The Panama police coordinated the protesters and used tears against them.
Among other things, protesters burned the photos of Trump and Rubio.
“We are going to fight to defend our national self -determination,” said the head of the teachers’ trade union Diogenes Sanchez.
An important route for transportation
The United States handed over the full control of the channel to Panama in 1999. Trump felt that China has too much influence on channel management.
The channel is an important route for transportation between Atlantic and Pacific coasts in the United States. More than 40 % in US container traffic passes through it.