US soldiers arrived in Panama to conduct military exercises to protect the interoceanic canal, as part of a bilateral agreement that has sparked protests in the Central American country, the US embassy in this country reported this Thursday.

The US soldiers arrived amid demonstrations against an agreement signed in April between Panama and Washington that allows the United States to use Panamanian air and naval bases for “training” for a period of three years, renewable.

The US military presence is a sensitive issue in Panama, as it evokes the time when the United States had an enclave with military bases before handing over the canal to the Panamanians on the last day of 1999.

The army “will train alongside Panamanian security forces” in “operations in the jungle,” said the US embassy in this brief statement.

“We will work even more closely to combat transnational crime and drug trafficking, while guaranteeing the uninterrupted operations of the Canal," he added.

The note did not provide details of the transferred contingent, but according to the Panamanian website newsroompanama.com, they are marines based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

The embassy clarified that Panama "must approve" the entry of US military personnel to carry out maneuvers "on a rotating and not permanent basis."

Panama signed the security agreement under pressure from President Donald Trump, who threatens to recover the canal under the argument that it is under Chinese influence.

The signing of this agreement has generated protests from unions and other Panamanian organizations, which consider that it "violates national sovereignty" and is a covert return of the former military bases.

However, in recent years the US military has participated in several military exercises in Panama with other Latin American countries.