U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic from Feb. 1-6, the State Department said in a statement on Friday.

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,

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.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be pushing Donald Trump's hardline immigration agenda and addressing the US president's claim to "take back" the Panama Canal when he tours Latin American

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

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

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.

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

The new Secretary of State already has said the Hong Kong-based operator of Panama Canal-adjacent ports could be a “big national security and defense problem.”

Marco Rubio will head overseas late next week; he's also scheduled to visit Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is traveling to Central America and the Caribbean. That is welcome news for smaller countries that typically struggle to get the attention of Washington. Usually, new secretaries of state reserve their first overseas visits for major US allies in Europe or Asia.