The new head of US diplomacy Marco Rubio arrived in Panama with the intention of defending US interests and discussing President Donald Trump's claims to the Panama Canal, an Agence France-Presse correspondent reported, quoted by BTA
On his first visit abroad, the secretary of state will visit the canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and later today he will meet with Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino.
This is an unusual destination for the first visit of the highest-ranking US diplomat, whose predecessors usually preferred Europe or Asia, the Associated Press notes. Rubio's choice reflects not only his personal interest in this part of the world (he is the first Hispanic to hold the post), but also the intention of the new US administration to focus much of its foreign policy energy on its own region.
"It is no coincidence that my first trip abroad as secretary of state will be in our hemisphere," Rubio told the "Wall Street Journal" on Friday.
Restricting immigration and combating drug trafficking are key elements of these efforts, but another key priority will be limiting China's growing influence in the Western Hemisphere, starting with restoring US control of the Panama Canal. The canal, built by the Americans, was handed over to the Panamanians in 1999. and they strongly object to Trump's demand to return it to them.
Panama is the first stop on Rubio's regional tour that will also take him to El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.