Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa met with his Peruvian counterpart Ollanta Humala on Friday as part of the 9th Binational Cabinet meeting.

During the high-level talks, the two leaders addressed border security and identified ongoing security issues facing the two countries. In recent years, the countries’ shared border has become a conduit for illegal narcotics being smuggled out of Peru, producing a wave of crime in the border area.

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa with Peruvian President Ollanta Humala at the 9th Binational Cabinet meeting, Dec. 18, 2016. | Photo: EFE

According to Ecuadorean customs officials, in 2015 police seized illegal contraband worth a total of US$36.4 million dollars, an increase of 28 percent compared to the previous year.

"Peru and Ecuador have agreed to work together in order to fight against illegal drug trafficking, money laundering and mining,” said a press release put out by the Peruvian Foreign Ministry.

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Ecuador and Peru began talks to jointly tackle illegal mining and human trafficking issues in February 2015.

In June 2007, the two countries held the first binational summit, during which they agreed on a number of border projects designed to improve infrastructure in the region.

In 2012, both nations signed an agreement allowing for crude oil extracted from the southern part of Ecuador’s Amazon region to be transported to market via a Peruvian pipeline.

Peru is Ecuador’s third largest export trading partner.