Ryabkov says Russia expects the US to respect the legal regime of the Panama Canal
Moscow expects US President Donald Trump and the Panamanian leadership to respect the current international legal regime of the Panama Canal when discussing their further cooperation. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on January 21.
"We expect that during the expected discussions between the Panamanian leadership and US President Donald Trump on issues of control over the Panama Canal, which is certainly within the sphere of their bilateral relations, the parties will respect the current international legal regime of this key waterway," the diplomat said in a conversation with TASS.
He noted that the international legal regime of the Panama Canal is clearly defined in the 1977 Treaty of Permanent Neutrality between the United States and Panama. Russia, for its part, reaffirms its obligations to respect the neutrality of this waterway.
"The regime established by the treaty [on the Panama Canal] is further enshrined in the protocol to it, to which some 40 states of the world have joined. Russia has been participating in the protocol since 1988 and confirms its obligations to observe the permanent neutrality of the Panama Canal," Ryabkov added.
Earlier, on January 20, Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino rejected statements by incoming U.S. President Trump about his intention to gain control over the Panama Canal and emphasized its belonging to the country. In his inaugural speech, Trump promised to return the Panama Canal to the United States and rename the Gulf of Mexico as the American Canal. The Panamanian president separately emphasized that "there is not a single country in the world that would interfere" in the management of the canal.
Trump in the rotunda of the Capitol took the oath of office, becoming the 47th President of the United States, reports "Gazeta.Ru". Along with him, Vice President Jay Dee Vance was sworn in. This is the second presidential term of Trump, the first time he was the American leader in 2017-2021. In his inaugural speech, the new US President announced the beginning of the "golden age of America".
The election of the 47th president of the United States was held on November 5. In the national vote, Trump received 51% of the vote, while former US Vice President Kamala Harris received 47.4%. Speaking to supporters, the Republican said that his goal as head of state considers the end of military conflicts in the world.
