Panama celebrates 25th anniversary of canal's handover

Panama on Tuesday celebrated the 25th anniversary of the handover of the Panama Canal, which had been under the control of the United States for nearly a century.

The United States inaugurated the canal in 1914 and operated the waterway until December 31, 1999. The Torrijos-Carter Treaties, signed on September 7, 1977, in Washington by Panama's General Omar Torrijos and then U.S. President Jimmy Carter, ended 85 years of the colonial enclave known as the Panama Canal Zone.

"These 25 years of Panamanian administration ... have worked on a common goal: to fulfill the national commitment to a safe and continuous operation for the world," said Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino.

"This canal has to be and has to continue to be the canal of our Panamanians, for Panamanians, at the world's service but above all for Panamanians mainly," Mulino said from the steps of the Panama Canal Administration Building.

On December 31, 1999, the building was the site of the official handover of the interoceanic waterway from the United States to the Panamanian government led by then President Mireya Mosco.

Panama Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vasquez Morales highlighted the achievements made during 25 years of Panamanian management, including the canal's expansion and construction of the Third Set of Locks, which began operating in 2016.

During the ceremony, Miguel Guerra, the first Panamanian hired by the Panama Canal following its historic handover in 1999, received Panama's Order of Vasco Nunez de Balboa from Mulino.