17:55 | Quito (Ecuador), Oct. 5.
The Peru-Ecuador Binational Cabinet will address mine clearance of the countries' common borders, Peruvian Ambassador to Quito Elizabeth Astete informed.
The Presidential Meeting and Binational Cabinet will take place on Friday, October 7 in Ecuador's Macas city.
In this sense, the Ambassador highlighted the landmine removal process along the frontier shows steady and sustained progress.
“There is no doubt demining is among the topics to be addressed within defense and security axis. We continue to make intensive progress in this respect,” the Peruvian diplomat told Andina news agency.
Although border demining was expected to be completed next year, it is hard to estimate a completion date since new areas containing anti-personnel mines have been identified, Ms. Astete explained.
“This is due to terrain conditions and the difficulty to reach some of them. As a result, Peru has been obliged to request an extension of the demining deadline at the international-level, since we will not be able to complete the entire process by 2017; however, we continue moving forward,” she pointed out.
According to the foreign affairs official, the mine-clearing operation commencement date will be announced during the Macas meeting given Peru and Ecuador governments' commitment to the process.
The Peru-Ecuador Binational Cabinet agenda covers five work axes: social affairs; security and defense; productivity and tourism; environmental, energy and mining issues; connectivity and infrastructure.
President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and his State Ministers will also hold Binational Cabinets with Bolivia (November) and Colombia (December) this year. Such meetings will take place within the framework of joint work and bilateral relations strengthening policies.
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Published: 10/5/2016