Panama, "Sovereignty is not a negotiator"...Trump's resistance to military threats

In response to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump even hinting at the possibility of mobilizing military forces over control of the Panama Canal, the Panama government has once again drawn the line that canal sovereignty is not subject to negotiation.

"The sovereignty of our canals is not subject to negotiation, it is a history of struggle and part of an irreversible acquisition," Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha said at a press conference on the 7th local time.

"When Trump takes office, relations between the United States and Panama will be handled through formal, customary and appropriate channels," he said.

Earlier, Trump has been talking about returning the canal, demanding a reduction in Panama Canal usage fees.

Panama's President Jose Raúl Mulino expressed his aggressive stance toward Trump by saying, "The demand for return is out of historical ignorance, and we cannot give up even 1 square meter."

He also stressed that he would bring the United States to the International Court of Justice if necessary.

He also visited the U.S. Embassy in Panama on the same day and left an article in memory of former President Jimmy Carter, who recently passed away.

"Former President Carter, who was a defender of world human rights, signed a treaty to transfer the Panama Canal," Mulino wrote. "On behalf of the government and people of Panama, I express my sincere condolences."

Former U.S. President Carter and former Panama President Omar Torrijos signed the so-called Torrijos-Carter Treaty in 1977, which aims to completely hand over control of canals in the hands of the U.S. government, including regulations on ships passing through Panama and operation of the canals.

With this opportunity, the United States, which built the Panama Canal and had been operating since 1914, handed over full control of the canal to Panama as of noon on December 31, 1999.

The U.S. military, which had been stationed in the canal for decades, also withdrew.