The U.S. Secretary of State will visit Panama on his first foreign trip, according to Bloomberg.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Panama next week as part of his first official trip.

According to a source familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports.

The Secretary of State plans to tour several Latin American countries.

In particular, Rubio intends to visit Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica, the report states. Bloomberg emphasizes the significance of this visit against the backdrop of President Donald Trump's expressed intention for the US to take control of the Panama Canal.

This trip will mark Rubio's first in this role, reflecting Trump's focus on curbing illegal immigration through Central America, the publication notes.

Typically, Secretaries of State visit key geopolitical allies first, such as Japan or Germany. At least, this was the practice of Rubio's predecessors – Blinken and Tillerson.

Background. Earlier, Mind reported that former Florida senator Marco Rubio, nominated by President-elect Donald Trump for the position of Secretary of State, expressed hope for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine during Senate hearings. He emphasized that both countries would need to make concessions.