Panama's President José Raúl Mulino participated this Saturday in the signing of the "Shield of the Americas" multilateral agreement, promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump. The agreement establishes a new strategy and action programs against drug trafficking, organized crime, and illegal migration in the American continent. During the signing ceremony, Trump stated that this is a new alliance aimed at making the "eradication of cartels" a priority, promoting a "zero tolerance" policy towards gangs and criminality. Trump also warned that his administration "will not tolerate lawlessness in the hemisphere", after indicating that all participating countries in today's agreement share the same priorities: security, prosperity, and the rule of law. In addition to the Panamanian president, the agreement was also signed by Javier Milei (Argentina), Santiago Peña (Paraguay), Rodrigo Paz (Bolivia), Nayib Bukele (El Salvador), Daniel Noboa (Ecuador), Nasry Asfura (Honduras), Luis Abinader (Dominican Republic), Mohamed Irfaan Ali (Guyana), and Rodrigo Chávez (Costa Rica). "Many U.S. presidents have said they would do it, but he has done it. We are very grateful to the 12 countries that are here today; these are countries that are not only allies of the United States, they are friends," said U.S. Secretary Marco Rubio.
