Honduras, Cuba ratify maritime border treaty

Honduras and Cuba have ratified a bilateral maritime border treaty, the Honduran Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. Honduran Foreign Minister Mireya Aguero and Charge d' Affaires of the Cuban Embassy Sergio Oliva exchanged the ratification of the treaty at an event in the Honduran capital, which was signed in August 2012 in the central Honduran city of Comayagua. The treaty, which defined the boundaries of their territorial waters, was signed after negotiations on the sovereignty of both sides and the respective economic zones in the Caribbean Sea, and both countries' parliaments have already approved the document. The treaty establishes cooperation in the development of programs on security, navigation, maritime search and rescue missions, and hydrographic studies between the two countries. Both sides will work to fight maritime crime, such as human and drug trafficking. The ratification will allow the treaty to come into force.