The new US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, will embark on his first international tour next week, which will take him to Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
This was reported to the press on Thursday by the new spokeswoman of the State Department, Tammy Bruce.
“Secretary Rubio will travel to Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic starting at the end of next week,” he briefly detailed.
Rubio, who speaks Spanish and is the son of Cuban immigrants, became the first Hispanic Secretary of State in the history of the United States on Tuesday.
Donald Trump’s new administration wants to stop migratory flows from Latin America and the appointment of Rubio as head of US diplomacy anticipates greater attention to the region.
The visit to Panama comes at a time of tension due to Trump’s promise to “retake” US control over the Panama Canal, which has generated the repudiation of the authorities of the Central American country.
During his confirmation hearing in the Senate, Rubio suggested that China’s use of the Panama Canal is a violation of the terms of the delivery of that interoceanic route to Panamanians.
The Panama Canal was built by the United States, which inaugurated it in 1914 and administered it until its transfer to the Panamanian State on December 31, 1999, as established in the Torrijos-Carter Treaties signed on September 7, 1977 in Washington.
Likewise, Rubio’s trip to the region comes after Nicolás Maduro was invested on January 10 for a new mandate in Venezuela despite the allegations of electoral fraud by the opposition and the international community.
This Wednesday, Rubio spoke with Venezuelan opposition leaders Edmundo González Urrutia, whom Washington considers the elected president, and María Corina Machado to reaffirm their support.
“Rubio reaffirmed the support of the United States for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela and the unconditional and immediate release of all political prisoners, in line with the peaceful democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people,” said his spokesman.