Panama hits back at Hegseth: "The canal belongs exclusively to the Panamanians"

Panama’s Foreign Minister, Javier Martínez-Acha, responded categorically to statements made by U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who claimed that Washington also "controls" the canal's infrastructure.

"The Panama Canal belongs exclusively to the Panamanian people; its sovereignty rests solely with Panama," the Foreign Minister, serving under the administration of President Raúl Mulino, asserted on November 11, emphasizing that "no country" exercises external control over the operations of the inter-oceanic waterway.

The diplomat’s remarks came after the U.S. official touted Washington’s influence in the Central American nation: 

"Panama set aside China’s 'Belt and Road' initiative, and we, together with them, control the canal. The message is simple: this is our hemisphere. Act accordingly," Hegseth asserted on November 10, during a press briefing at the Pentagon.

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