Delegates from Ecuador and Guatemala began their first round of negotiations Wednesday with the purpose of reaching a Trade and Economic Complementation Agreement, the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry said.

The talks, which will finish on Friday, aim at deepening the Latin American integration and generating a bilateral frame to promote the expansion and diversification of products, the ministry said in a statement.

Ecuador is interested in reaching an agreement with Guatemala, as it currently exports to Guatemala petroleum, medicines, electronic appliances and sea products, which represent about 80 percent of Ecuador's exports since 1990, according to official figures.

The ministry's statement added that Ecuador is seeking to include new actors in local productive sectors, including small companies, which could benefit from exports.

"It will be taken into account the production sensibilities of each country and we will seek to establish preference mechanisms to have access to the markets and specialized cooperation regarding sanitary and phytosanitary measures," the statement said.

The Ecuadorian authorities have expected to finish the talks with Guatemala in the first half of 2011.