Monday, December 22, 2014

Mexico's Worldwide Relationships are becoming Opportunities

Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Consistent with the government's strategy of making Mexico an actor with global responsibility, in 2014 President Enrique Peña Nieto made 11 international trips and received 44 visits from heads of state and government and representatives of royal houses, which enabled him to hold 109 meetings with presidents and dignitaries from other nations.

In 2014, Mexico hosted six summits and high-level events, ten visits from the heads of international organizations, and six from the heads of provincial governments.

For his part, Foreign Secretary José Antonio Meade traveled to 42 countries and received 50 foreign ministers from Latin America, North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region.

These figures are proof of Mexico’s active presence and participation in multilateral and bilateral encounters, priority opportunities for its foreign policy agenda and for the various challenges that face the international community as a whole.

At the multilateral level, Mexico continued to turn its thematic associations and its presence in various regional and universal forums into tangible improvements for its citizens, by participating in mechanisms for dialogue and consultation such as the Group of Twenty (G20), the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the Iberoamerican Conference, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Association of Caribbean States, and the Pacific Alliance, among others.

Especially noteworthy was the President’s announcement that Mexico would again participate in peacekeeping operations, a United Nations tool for helping countries experiencing or emerging from conflict to create the conditions needed for a lasting peace by helping with their reconstruction, humanitarian assistance and security.

In Latin America, emphasis was given to economic ties through the Pacific Alliance, in addition to the political dialogue and cooperation engaged in with other Latin American countries, while also strengthening its ties with the Central American nations.

With respect to North America, Mexico promoted and consolidated the multi-thematic dialogue with the United States. The High Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) has paid off in terms of competitiveness, logistics and border development. The Bilateral Forum on Higher Education, Research and Innovation (FOBESII) has led to initiatives that have expanded the existing partnerships for research and innovation as part of the efforts to increase the region’s economic competitiveness and prosperity. The Mexico-United States Entrepreneurship and Innovation Council (MUSEIC) coordinates strategies that lead to more entrepreneurs and micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The protection of Mexican immigrants in the United States is of the highest priority, and our consulates have provided services to our fellow countrymen. Mexico welcomed the administrative measures on immigration announced by the US government.

In the Caribbean, our third border, we have identified our challenges and ways to overcome them, in addition to opportunities for mutual benefit. Within the Association of Caribbean States and the Caribbean Community, financing mechanisms and geospatial information projects for natural disasters were agreed on, as were ways to enhance agricultural productivity and to promote sustainable tourism.

The Asia-Pacific region contributes a third of global growth, which is why Mexico has sought unprecedented, closer relations with China, by opening markets for Mexican products and creating the conditions for more productive investment in Mexico. Japan has increased its investments, as has Singapore.

Mexico has established closer ties with Europe, both with the European Union and with the non-EU countries in the region. Progress was made in gaining the necessary support for updating the Mexico-EU legal framework, specifically the Economic Partnership, Political Coordination and Cooperation Agreement.

In the past year, Mexico has made progress with its strategy for increasing its presence in Africa by exploring its options to share embassies, as has been the case with the Pacific Alliance countries and Spain (Angola, Ghana), and by finding opportunities for cooperation on issues such as health, the strengthening of electoral institutions and fighting poverty.

In the Middle East, Mexico has insisted on dialogue and respect for international law as ways for resolving disputes. Mexico expressed itself in favor of a peaceful negotiated solution to the conflict in Syria. Faced with the escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine in 2014, Mexico reiterated the need to solve the underlying problem promptly, ensuring the right of both Israel and Palestine to live in peace, safely and within internationally-recognized borders.

Mexico has sought to not only strengthen its relationships but also to consolidate its role as an actor with global responsibility by continuing to demonstrate that our nation has multiple associations in all regions of the planet.

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Press release, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), Mexico, DF; translation by SRE