Panamanian Foreign Minister Martinez-Acha refuted US Secretary of Defense Hegseth's remarks about the joint control of the Panama Canal between the US and Panama on the 11th, stressing that the sovereignty and control of the canal belongs entirely to Panama. Hegseth claimed at a press conference held at the Pentagon on the 10th that the US and Panamanian governments jointly control the Panama Canal. In an interview with local media while attending the opening ceremony of the 12th American Cadastral and Real Estate Registration Network Conference on the 11th, Martinez Acha said, “Other countries have no control over the management of the Panama Canal except Panama.”

Panamanian Foreign Minister Martinez-Acha refuted US Secretary of Defense Hegseth's remarks about the joint control of the Panama Canal between the US and Panama on the 11th, stressing that the sovereignty and control of the canal belongs entirely to Panama. Hegseth claimed at a press conference held at the Pentagon on the 10th that the US and Panamanian governments jointly control the Panama Canal. In an interview with local media while attending the opening ceremony of the 12th American Cadastral and Real Estate Registration Network Conference on the 11th, Martinez Acha said, “Other countries have no control over the management of the Panama Canal except Panama.”