Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Central America for his first trip as the top US diplomat. Rubio is expected to depart late next week for Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

Rubio's stop in Panama also comes as Trump in recent weeks has said he wants the Panama Canal back under U.S. control, claiming that “American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way,

Traditionally, when US secretaries of state make their international debuts, they travel to major US allies and offer bromides about working together.

Marco Rubio will travel to Panama on his first trip abroad as secretary of State. The visit comes as Donald Trump looks to reclaim Panama's canal.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Central America comes after President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to take the Panama Canal back.

The Trump administration plans to designate El Salvador as a Safe Third Country, redirecting asylum seekers from the U.S. to El Salvador.- Watch Video on English Oneindia

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Panama — the country whose canal President Donald Trump has suggested he’d seize — as early as next week, according to three U.S. officials briefed on the plan.

Mr Rubio will visit Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Colombia stopped resisting President Donald Trump’s deportation of its unwanted nationals. But America First bullying may yet provoke a backlash. The row casts a pall over the first trip abroad by Marco Rubio,

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first visit to Latin America will be only to certain US allies, including a very complex meeting in Panama.

Marco Rubio’s visit to Panama, his first trip as U.S. Secretary of State, comes amidst controversy over President Trump’s claims to regain control of the Panama Canal, which Panama firmly opposes.