JAKARTA - Panama this week reaffirmed the "neutrality" of the Panama Canal and the "need to maintain" the maritime transit route amid the Strait of Hormuz blockade during the Middle East war.
The closure, which has lasted for a month, has led Iran to effectively close the strait, a waterway vital for a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas exports from Gulf countries, sparking an increase in traffic through the Panama Canal.
Panama's Foreign Minister, Javier Martinez-Acha, reaffirmed the neutrality of the canal during a telephone conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
The two foreign ministers discussed the international situation "marked by tensions in the Middle East," according to a statement from the Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as reported by Al Arabiya from AFP (30/4).
Foreign Minister Martinez-Acha stressed "the importance of the neutrality of the Panama Canal as a pillar of global trade" and highlighted "the need to maintain stability in key maritime and energy transit routes."
Traffic through the Panama Canal has increased from about 34 ships per day in January to up to 50 ships arriving daily now, according to the canal's operator.
Five percent of global maritime trade passes through the Panama Canal, whose main users are the United States and China. This route mainly connects the east coast of the United States with the Asian giants, South Korea and Japan.
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