Panama's embassy marks 45th anniversary of Torrijos-Carter treaties

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - The Panamanian Embassy in Türkiye marked on Tuesday the 45th anniversary of the Torrijos-Carter treaties which guaranteed the country to control the Panama Canal.

The two treaties "restore Panama's most valuable asset: control of its privileged geographic location and management of the Panama Canal," the embassy said in a statement.

The treaties were signed between the US and Panama in Washington on Sept. 7, 1977 and superseded the Hay-Bunau-Varilla treaty of 1903.

The embassy said that from 1964 until the signing of the treaties in 1977 Panama had to "overcome highly complex negotiations."

The Panama Canal was under US control before the agreement and the treaties are named after the two signatories, then US president Jimmy Carter and then commander of Panama's National Guard, Omar Torrijos.

"Great success is summarized by the disappearance of permanence, the forgetting of the canal privilege, the return of sovereignty throughout the national territory, the elimination of the Canal Zone as a colonial structure and all its institutions," it said.

Noting that the Panamanians were involved in the stewardship and management of the transoceanic canal and took part in the defense of it for the 23 years of the return process, it added: "Thanks to this treaty, 14 military bases established on our land were evacuated. Panama has achieved this thanks to the support and perseverance of many international leaders and intellectuals who embrace multilateralism."

"We have succeeded in increasing the revenue from the Panama Canal and since December 31, 1999, Panama has managed its own geographic location and owns the canal," it concluded.