QUITO, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The presidents of Ecuador and Colombia met on Sunday in the border town of Mataje in the Ecuadoran province of Esmeraldas to verify the progress of a road project that will improve connectivity between the two countries.
Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno and Colombian President Ivan Duque made a joint statement on the project in the area, which is considered to be a hot zone for drug trafficking.
Upon completion, the Mataje River bridge and the Mataje-La Espriella highway will facilitate the transit of goods and services between the port of Tumaco in Colombia, and those of Esmeraldas and San Lorenzo in Ecuador.
The bridge and the corridor "are mechanisms of union, commerce, tourism, ... to make us brothers, as it always has," said Moreno.
Duque, for his part, highlighted the progress of the binational project in Mataje, saying that Colombia is working to complete its half of the project by June.
The Colombian president said his country's relationship with Ecuador is one of "brotherhood in trade, in cooperation, investment, transportation, but also a lot of coordination during the pandemic."
The meeting between Moreno and Duque took place after the Colombia-Ecuador Presidential Meeting and the ninth Binational Cabinet, which was held online on Nov. 26 to discuss issues of bilateral interest. Enditem
