Quito, October 16 (PL-RHC)-- Foreign Ministers Ricardo Patiño, from Ecuador, and Heraldo Muñoz, from Chile, opened in Quito the 4th Bi-national Inter-ministerial Meeting and confirmed the signing of common agreements.

During the meeting of 15 ministers from the two countries, nine bilateral agreements were signed related to the fields of education, sports, technology, social development, security and health.

Patiño highlighted the cooperation offered by Chile to strengthen and improve the judicial system in Ecuador, something that enhances the population's quality of life.

Ecuadorean Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility Minister Ricardo Patiño said the meeting strengthens the dialogue set by the two Governments since 2012.

Muñoz said that Ecuador's friendship and commitment began many years ago, and called for the regional integration to achieve improvements in education, training and technology.

The 4th Bi-national Inter ministerial Meeting was held during the visit of Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who was welcomed with honors by President of Ecuador Rafael Correa.

Cooperation between Chile and Ecuador began in 1993 with the signing of the Basic Agreement for Technical and Scientific Cooperation.

The Cooperation Program 2014-2017 was agreed last year in Quito during the 2nd Meeting of the Joint Commission for Chilean-Ecuadorean Technical Cooperation.