Pete Hegseth’s agenda includes visits to two former U.S. military bases in Panama and a tour of the Miraflores Locks.

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth met with Panamanian President Jose Mulino, Panama Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vasquez, and Canal Affairs Minister Jose Icaza.

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Hegseth was received by Public Security Minister Frank Abrego at the doors of the Las Gazas Palace. His agenda for the day included visits to two former U.S. military bases in Panama and a tour of the Panama Canal’s Miraflores Locks at the Pacific Ocean entrance.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Secretary of Defense will participate in the Central America Security Conference (CENTSEC), an annual meeting sponsored by the U.S. Southern Command (SouthCom), which will focus on regional defense through joint operations and cybersecurity.

Hegseth is also scheduled to hold meetings with civilian, military, and security leaders from partner countries, in a series of bilateral sessions that, according to Washington, will boost ongoing efforts to strengthen the U.S. partnership with Panama and other Central American nations toward the shared vision of “a peaceful and secure Western Hemisphere.”

As part of the conference, the U.S. Department of Defense and Panama’s Public Security Ministry have conducted joint training exercises to strengthen the capacities and security of the region, under “the highest respect for the Panamanian people and the sovereignty of Panama,” the U.S. Embassy vows.

In fact, Panama’s sovereignty has been a central theme in recent months for President Mulino’s administration, in response to former President Trump’s rhetoric concerning the interoceanic route, which the U.S. built at the start of the 20th century and operated for over 80 years until its handover to the Panamanian government on December 31, 1999.

Trump has claimed that the presence of a Hong Kong-based operator at two of the five ports surrounding the Canal constitutes Chinese control over the waterway, and therefore the U.S. must regain control in the name of national security.

He even touted as a victory of his administration the announcement that U.S. asset manager BlackRock reached an agreement with Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison to purchase the two ports—a transaction that has been delayed due to an investigation by China’s antitrust authority and which both companies have distanced from political matters.

Mulino has consistently responded that the Canal “is and will remain Panamanian” and denied that China or any other country in the world has influence over its operations, which are managed by the autonomous Panama Canal Authority.

The Panamanian president has also had to clarify that “there will be no military bases of any power, whether the U.S. or from anywhere else in the world,” in Panama, refuting the existence of an alleged letter from the U.S. government proposing options to administer the Canal or establish troops in the country.

In Panama—a country that abolished its army in 1990 following the U.S. invasion in December 1989—there are no U.S. military bases due to the Torrijos-Carter Treaties of 1977, which set the terms for the Canal’s transfer and include the Neutrality Treaty in force since October 1, 1979.

On March 14, the Pentagon denied any plans to alter its military presence in Panama but did highlight that it is working with the country on various joint military maneuvers—something already contemplated in the Torrijos-Carter Treaties—to support President Trump’s national security priorities.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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