Above: OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza (right) and SICA Secretary General Hugo Martinez in Washington, DC (Photo: Organization of American States)

The two sides discussed “options for cooperation between the institutions,” particularly in the areas of security and human resources, according to a statement from the OAS.

The meeting, which was held at OAS headquarters in Washington, also focused on the ongoing debate on “how best to define” the priorities of the OAS, along with the regional body’s “strategic vision,” according to the OAS.

SICA, which launched in 1991, has been growing in influence in recent years within the region, especially following the accession of its first Caribbean Member State, the Dominican Republic, last year. (Belize, which is geographically in Central America but a member of the CARICOM bloc, joined in 2000).

Haiti has also expressed interest in joining the regional grouping in some capacity.