Monday, March 9, 2015

Joint Mexico-United Kingdom Statement

JOINT DECLARATION BY MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE UNITED MEXICAN STATES, DR JOSÉ ANTONIO MEADE KURIBREÑA AND SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AND NORTHERN IRELAND, THE RT. HON. PHILIP HAMMOND MP, ON THE OCCASION OF THE STATE VISIT TO THE UNITED KINGDOM OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED MEXICAN STATES, HIS EXCELLENCY MR ENRIQUE PEÑA NIETO.

On the occasion of the State Visit to the United Kingdom of the President of the United Mexican States, His Excellency Mr Enrique Peña Nieto, from the 3rd to 5th March 2015, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Mexican States, Dr José Antonio Meade Kuribreña and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, the Rt. Hon. Philip Hammond MP, adopted the following joint declaration:

Political Dialogue

1.         We affirm and renew our commitment to a strong and multifaceted relationship, recognising that this State Visit of the Mexican President to the United Kingdom is an important milestone in the development of our growing partnership in both a bilateral and a multilateral context.

1.2.      We recognise that bilateral relations are at a high point, evidenced by the continuous political, economic, investment, cultural and academic contacts between our two countries, as well as the closeness of our cooperation in international fora.

1.3.      In the spirit of cooperation and friendship, we commit to strengthen bilateral relations still further and continue working together to identify new areas of collaboration, in order to increase and promote contact between our governments, businesses, institutions and civil society, for the benefit of our people.

Economic Dialogue and Trade and Investment

1.4.      We reaffirm the importance of the High-Level Economic Talks and the Trade Task Force in promoting open economic dialogue and stimulating greater interest in the goods and services of our two countries, contributing to domestic economic growth and achieving our objective of increasing bilateral trade. In this context, Mexico’s Ministry of Finance and Public Credit and HM Treasury will engage in knowledge sharing in common areas of interest, amongst them those related to infrastructure investment and insurance services. The next session of the High Level Economic Talks and the Trade Task Force will be held in July 2015.

1.5.      Trade and investment will be further promoted through the establishment of the UK-Mexico Senior Business Leaders Group. The inaugural meeting of this Group took place today, 4th March 2015, at Buckingham Palace, in the presence of the President of the United Mexican States and the Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP.

1.6.      We are working closely together in the G20, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to promote an open and transparent global economy. This includes the results of the G8 meeting in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland in 2013, on tax, transparency and trade, as well as the recommendations established in the Action Plans of the G20 and OECD on fiscal evasion by multinational companies and implementation of the FATF (Financial Action Taskforce) standards, including on beneficial ownership.

1.7.      The UK became an Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) implementing country in 2014 and Mexico is preparing its candidacy to join the initiative. Both countries recognise the importance of developing common global standards and sharing best practices to enhance transparency and accountability in the use of natural resources, and to this end we will continue to work together to share information and experience towards EITI compliance.

1.8.      The UK Government reiterates that it is a strong advocate within the European Union for the modernisation of the European Union-Mexico Economic Partnership, Political Coordination and Cooperation Agreement.

Culture and Education

1.9.      Mexico and the United Kingdom share strong ties. The Dual Year of Mexico and the UK in 2015 will enhance existing links and will contribute to the creation of new connections in the areas of culture, arts, education, science, innovation, trade, investment and tourism. The arts and cultural sector will celebrate heritage, contemporary expression and diversity in both countries. There is a rich programme of events showcasing the best of the arts, culture, creative industries and gastronomy in each other’s countries. We will promote new collaboration projects and innovative strategies in these fields. We welcome the participation of British and Mexican artists and experts in the activities of the Dual Year, as well as the major exhibitions, events and joint projects that will take place in order to promote a better understanding of the vibrant contemporary culture and the rich cultural heritage of both our countries.

1.10.    As part of the Dual Year, our two governments have agreed to foster better knowledge of the rich culture of Mexico in the UK. In this context, we welcome the work of the British Council, together with the Poetry Society, to actively promote Mexican culture and Spanish language learning in British schools. Furthermore, we welcome the signature of an Agreement between the Mexican Ministry for Public Education and the University of Oxford for the establishment of an Associate Chair in Latin American literature, as well as a Joint Statement of Intent between the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) and the University of Oxford.

1.11.    We will enhance our commitment to increase dialogue between our students and academics. This includes the signing of a Letter of Intent between the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to establish a “Visiting Chair Mexico-UK” to promote collaboration in higher education. This will enable academic mobility across both countries and facilitate cutting edge research between Mexican and UK universities, supported by the joint UK-Mexico £24 million Newton Fund, which provides a platform for cooperation on research and innovation programmes over the next three years.

1.12.     Cooperation during the Dual Year in education, science and innovation will inspire academic collaboration and long-term partnerships, broadening access to knowledge and research. To this end, during this Visit, our two governments have also signed an Agreement on the Mutual Recognition of Higher Education Awards, Titles, Diplomas and Academic Degrees, benefitting around 170,000 highly skilled people.

1.13.     We welcome the increased exchange of students between our two countries. Mexico welcomes the increase from 20 to 100 in the number of Chevening scholarships offered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, with support from a range of government and private sector co-sponsors, to Mexican students – including a number for Mexican students working on Pacific Alliance priorities. The UK also welcomes the 20 scholarships granted annually by the Mexican government to British students.

1.14.    In this context, we will continue to work together to streamline the visa processing formalities for academic exchange between our two countries. Working with key partners in the education sector, the UK will launch a comprehensive programme of communication to help Mexican visa applicants comply fully with the requirements of the UK visa process. In addition, the UK will enhance its support to government-sponsored students on the CONACYT programme, offering dedicated liaison points and bespoke visa appointments and maximising capacity at peak periods.

Tourism

1.15.     The United Kingdom is the most important European tourism market for Mexico, and for the UK, Mexico represents its second most important market in Latin America. Acknowledging the importance of tourism and its economic and social impact as well as the leadership that both countries demonstrate in this sector, we have signed a Specific Programme of Cooperation 2015-2016 between the Secretariat of Tourism and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and. This programme will strengthen bilateral cooperation through the exchange of experience and best practice in areas such as competitiveness, training and education, and sustainability, for which a series of cooperation and promotion activities will be developed.

Energy

1.16.    The Mexican Ministry of Energy and the Department for Energy and Climate Change will sign a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the energy sector. Both countries are acutely aware of the need rapidly to transition to a low carbon economy while developing our energy resources to foster economic prosperity. We will promote and encourage Mexican and British companies and academic institutions to meet the challenges we share in the context of energy sector reform and low carbon transition.

1.17.     A new tool to help explore a range of long term energy and carbon emissions scenarios, called “Mexico 2050 Calculator”, which has been adapted from the UK’s own 2050 Calculator, will be demonstrated during this State Visit on 5th March in Aberdeen.

1.18.    Petróleos Mexicanos and the UK Export Credits Guarantee Department will sign a Memorandum of Understanding for a new credit line worth up to US$1bn to finance the procurement of capital goods and services supplied by businesses in the United Kingdom. This credit will enhance the development of the Mexican energy sector, as well as Pemex’s financing options.

1.19.    In addition, Petróleos Mexicanos and the University of Aberdeen will sign a Memorandum of Understanding whose objective is to support capacity building and academic exchange to improve human capital and to build a stronger relationship between the University of Aberdeen and Pemex University.

Defence and Security

1.20.    We value highly our close defence and security cooperation, including through the exchange of knowledge, expertise and personnel. Mexico welcomes operational visits by British Navy vessels, as was the visit of HMS Argyll in 2014, as this provides the opportunity for sharing expertise and joint exercising. The UK welcomes the upcoming visit of the Mexican sail training vessel, ARM Cuauhtémoc, as a further step to strengthen relations between our Navies. We welcome the possibility that General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, Secretary of Defence, and Admiral Vidal Francisco Soberón Sanz, Secretary of the Navy, will visit the UK this year to further new opportunities for collaboration between our armed forces.  We welcome the continued student exchange between our military colleges, including the Royal College of Defence Studies and the Escuela Superior de Guerra.

1.21.     We welcome work to strengthen our security relationship and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Mexican Secretariat of Government and the UK’s Home Office and that will allow the exchange of best practice and cooperation on issues including cyber security, policing, child protection and justice. Current bilateral cooperation includes areas such as collaborating in the training of police forces and sharing experience in adversarial trials to support reform of the justice system in Mexico.

Human Rights

1.22.    We have a full and open dialogue with regard to the human rights situation in our respective countries. The UK welcomes the Mexican Government’s continuing expression of its strong commitment to human rights. Finding ways to work together to improve the lives of people in both countries and to build respect for human rights, is central to our relationship.

Health

1.23.    Under the Global Health Security Agenda, we are contributing to efforts to improve laboratory capacity and surveillance in order to improve global capacity to detect health threats early when we have the best chance of containing them. We commit to driving these efforts forward as part of international action to ensure compliance with international health regulations. We also jointly support improvements in the transparency of surveillance data and will encourage greater sharing of data and analysis to improve global health security. In the context of closer working on health issues both bilaterally and internationally, our two governments have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of health.

Outer Space

1.24.    Under the International Partnership in Space Programme of the UK Space Agency, a cooperation framework will be sought with the Mexican Space Agency to support collaboration between our governments, our industry and other institutions. These will focus on the use of space-based radar, innovative approaches to satellite telecommunications and space data products for disaster management.

Diplomatic and Expert Exchange

1.25.    We welcome the joint work between our two diplomatic services and the strengthening of our cooperation through the secondment of staff between our respective Ministries and the exchange of speakers and training materials between the FCO Diplomatic Academy and the Matías Romero Institute.

1.26.    A new secondment scheme between the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID) and the Department for International Development (DfID) underlines the importance we place on cooperation for development in third countries. To this end, we will work together with Belize on a technical education project, with further countries to be identified jointly. We will also share experience in the field of prevention, response and relief on crisis management and emergencies.

Global Issues

1.27.    Mexico and the UK are like-minded partners in the international community across a wide spectrum of global and foreign policy issues. Our mutual commitment to global responsibility is demonstrated through our approaches, working together in the United Nations, including on specific issues such as non-proliferation and the Women, Peace and Security agenda. We also work closely together in the United Nations Human Rights Council on a number of issues including the abolition of the death penalty and the rights of the child.

1.28.    The UK welcomes Mexico’s commitment to increase its contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security by announcing its decision to resume its participation in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. We look forward to the visit of a Mexican delegation to the British Military Advisory Training Team in the Czech Republic.

Climate Change

1.29.    We reaffirm our commitment to design a new agreement under the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change and to adopt it at the 21st Conference of the Parties Convention in Paris, France, in December 2015. The agreement should be one that is ambitious, effective and applicable to all countries, and should keep us on track to limit climate change to below 2 degrees Celsius. We will maintain our close collaboration to promote a transition towards a low carbon economy, which is also resilient to climate change and our continued joint efforts on sustainable urban development issues. In this context, the Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department for Energy and Climate Change have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to widen and strengthen cooperation.

Post-2015 Development Agenda

1.30.    We will continue to work closely together to ensure and build support for a universal, ambitious and transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda, with an inspiring and workable framework for goals and targets, including action on good governance and the promotion of the rule of law and effective institutions to achieve sustainable and inclusive development. To this end, we will jointly host a post-2015 development event in Mexico in March 2015.

Open Government Partnership

1.31.     The UK and Mexico are both founding members of the Open Government Partnership (OGP). The UK continues to work together with Mexico as Chair of the OGP, including on preparation for the Global Summit to be held in Mexico in October 2015. We will continue to use open government as a catalyst for inclusive development and will ensure that our own governments are open and accountable by implementing our current OGP National Action Plans and renewing our commitments later this year. In this regard, we will open and protect space for dialogue with civil society and give priority to tackling corruption pursuant to our commitments in the G20 and UN Convention Against Corruption. We believe these principles are fundamental to all types of government reform and we will continue to promote the OGP internationally and domestically, with the open government declaration at its heart, as a strong way to address these challenges at all levels of government. Mexico will develop a strategy to deepen the tools and benefits of open government at the local and at the national level, in order to have a wider reach.  We will work together on a knowledge transfer project between the UK’s Behavioural Insights team and the Government of Mexico on these issues. Both countries commit to include the promotion of open data as a resource to support governance and innovation objectives in other international fora.

The two Foreign Ministers welcomed the signing of the following instruments during the State Visit:

1.         Agreement between the Government of the United Mexican States and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the Mutual Recognition of higher education awards, titles, diplomas and academic degrees.

2.         Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the United Mexican States and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on cooperation in the field of health.

3.         Memorandum of Understanding between the Secretariat of Government of the United Mexican States  and the Home Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

4.         Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Energy of the United Mexican States and the Department for Energy and Climate Change of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for cooperation in the energy sector.

5.         Memorandum of Understanding to widen and strengthen cooperation between the Ministry of Climate Change and Natural Resources of the United Mexican States and the Department for Energy and Climate Change of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

6.         Specific Cooperation Programme for 2015-2016 between the Secretariat of Tourism of the United Mexican States and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

7.         Letter of Intent between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Mexican States and the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to establish a “Visiting Chair Mexico-UK”.

8.         Memorandum of Understanding between Petróleos Mexicanos and the UK Export Credits Guarantee Department.

9.         Memorandum of Understanding between Petróleos Mexicanos and the University of Aberdeen.

10.       Addendum to Memorandum of Understanding between the Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior, Sociedad Nacional de Credito (Bancomext) and UK Export Credits Guarantee Department and.

11.        Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Oxford, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Ministry of Public Education of the United Mexican States, to Implement an Associate Chair on Spanish Literature.

12.       Joint Statement of Intent between the National Council of Science and Technology of the United Mexican States and the University of Oxford of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

13.       Agreement between the Mexican Association of Universities and Higher Education Institutions and the UK Higher Education International Unit.

14.       General Academic Cooperation Agreement between the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM) and King’s College London, University of London.

Signed in London, United Kingdom, 4 March 2015

THE SECRETARY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE UNITED MEXICAN STATES

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

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Presidency staff, Presidency of the Republic, Mar. 4, 2015, Mexico, DF