By Tiffany Williams –
On Friday, Tammy Bruce, a Department of State spokesperson, confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic from February 1-6.
Bruce said the reason for the trip is “To advance President Trump’s America First foreign policy.” She added, “Secretary Rubio’s engagements with senior officials and business leaders will promote regional cooperation on our core, shared interests: stopping illegal and large-scale migration, fighting the scourge of transnational criminal organizations and drug traffickers, countering China, and deepening economic partnerships to enhance prosperity in our hemisphere.”
During a briefing Friday on Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first trip, Mauricio Claver-Carone, the special envoy for Latin America said, “I can’t stress enough the historic nature of this visit and how it harkens back to President Trump’s overall message during his inauguration of the golden age of the Americas. This is the first time – and I stress for everyone to please read Secretary Rubio’s op-ed in The Wall Street Journal today – this is the first time that the Secretary of State, that the U.S. Secretary of State, his first visit – his or her first visit to anywhere in the world is to Latin America, for the first time in over a hundred years. Last time that happened I believe was in 1912, when Philander Chase Knox went to Panama to watch – to oversee the conclusion of the Panama Canal’s construction and operations at the time. And what a great message to harken back to that golden age of the Americas, as President Trump himself has mentioned.”
Claver-Carone added, “If you go back to the inauguration speech with President Trump, he talked about, obviously, President McKinley, American greatness, and the Panama Canal was referenced. This was a time that began to set the framework for what ultimately became the 20th century as a great American century. And now, harkening back to President Trump and his notion and his efforts for, again, the reinstating of America’s golden age, and having frankly the most experienced senior policy team ever in the history of the United States Government on the Americas, it goes to show really the focus and the priority that President Trump has given to the region, and the fact that that’s led by our Secretary of State, the first Hispanic secretary of state, who knows the region like no one – like no one else, inside-out, is really historic in that nature.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s trip will begin in Panama, where he will meet with, President Mulino, and will also visit the Panama Canal and visit with the Panama Canal administrator during this trip.
Rubio will then travel to El Salvador where he’ll visit with President Bukele. He’ll then go to Costa Rica, where he will meet with President Chaves, then to Guatemala where he’ll meet with President Arévalo, and then to the Dominican Republic where he’ll meet with President Abinader.
“The significance of these five countries, that these are all overall allies of the United States, obviously where we seek to deepen and strengthen cooperation in all of these,” Claver-Carone said. “And if you look at El Salvador, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic, and you look at President Bukele, President Chaves, and President Abinader – Dominican Republic – these are the three most – when you look at popularity rating-wise, these are three of the most popular leaders – I would say three out of five most popular leaders in the Western Hemisphere. And their popularity stems from the success they’ve had in their country, their strong alliance with the United States; the strong, courageous measures they’ve taken in their own countries to combat corruption, to combat – to really fight security, to open up their markets, and really to foment better lives for their citizens.”
In a statement Saturday, Secretary Rubio said, “American leadership is back in the Western Hemisphere, and we’re ready to stand with our regional partners. Putting America First means paying closer attention to our own hemisphere. My first international trip as Secretary of State reflects this. I am headed to Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic, and focusing on mutual priorities will bolster stability, security, and prosperity at home and in our region.”
Secretary Rubio also said, “As I wrote in my Wall Street Journal opinion piece, American foreign policy has too long focused on other regions while overlooking our own, missing opportunities and neglecting partners and friends. That ends now.”