PANAMA CITY, 14 November (H.S.): Panama's President, Jose Raul Mulino, on Thursday, denied that joint military exercises with the United States on Panamanian soil were a hostile act aimed at Venezuela.President Mulino insisted that his country was not lending out its territory for any type of hostile act against Venezuela or any other country in the world.

His statements came in response to claims from Venezuela that a US military deployment against drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Pacific is a maneuver to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro.US forces have been conducting survival and combat exercises this year in Panama's Darien jungle, which borders Colombia, as well as at a police base on the Caribbean coast.

These activities are permitted under a security agreement signed by the two allies in April, which allows Washington to use Panamanian air and naval bases for training purposes.The agreement has previously faced opposition and sparked protests from Panamanians concerned about their country's sovereignty, particularly in light of the 1989 US invasion to depose former leader General Manuel Noriega. President Mulino addressed these concerns by stating, There is no unauthorized military presence in Panama.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar