Colombia and Panama have signed an agreement to combat criminal activity along their shared border, media reported Friday.
The agreement, titled the “Binational Plan for Border Security,” was signed Thursday at a meeting between Colombian Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera and Panama Public Security Minister Jose Raul Mulino in the Colombian border town of Capurgana.
The plan sets out measures to fight drug, arms and human trafficking, money laundering, and terrorist activities among other forms of organized crime.
“Today is a special day. This agreement will raise the level of the strategic relationship between the two countries and will contribute to regional stability,” said Rivera.
Rivera said that the geographical location of both countries makes them a natural destination for illicit trafficking and terrorist activities.
The hope is that by developing coordinated and synchronized operations along the border, the response capacity of both countries will be significantly strengthened.
Also included in the plan are measures to protect black and indigenous groups that live in areas along the border which stretches 165 miles (266 kilometers).
Although Panama has no terrorist organizations of its own, it has become interested in combating terrorism due to a report in January in which the FARC were revealed to have recruited at least 60 minors from Panama.