President Isaac Herzog arrived in Panama for an official visit, the first by an Israeli president. He was received at the airport by local Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez. During a tour of the Panama Canal, Herzog said: "This is a beautiful example of how Panama enables freedom of navigation and maritime freedom, in contrast to what we see in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf. We must all stand together firmly against any blockage of free shipping movement around the world." Panama's Foreign Minister said that "we want to show the President of Israel the friendship between the nations, the visit symbolizes the deepening of relations and development of cooperation in the fields of trade and innovation."