MEXICO'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE PEACE PROCESS IN EL SALVADOR IS REMEMBERED

As part of this year’s events commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the peace accords in El Salvador, the Undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, Ambassador Jorge Castro-Valle, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Integration and Economic Development of El Salvador, Carlos Alfredo Castaneda, inaugurated a seminar on the role of Mexico’s foreign policy in the peace process in El Salvador.

The date chosen for the event is symbolic because exactly 21 years ago representatives of the Salvadoran government and the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) adopted, in Mexico, the Mexico Agreement on Constitutional Reforms, which led to the signing of the Chapultepec Accords on January 16, 1992.

Attending the seminar were Salvadoran representatives who negotiated the peace accords, Mexican officials who were instrumental in the process and academics from both countries who have helped ensure that this historic process is well represented in the archives of Mexican diplomacy.

Undersecretary Castro-Valle recalled that April 27th was precisely when the longest round of negotiations between representatives of the El Salvador government and the FMLN concluded. This was one of the most significant steps towards the signing of Peace Accords.

"It was a process of enormous historical significance whose outcome changed both the present and the future of the entire region. Two decades after the signing of the Chapultepec Accords, it is very satisfying to see the fruits of the extraordinary effort made by the Salvadorans to move beyond confrontation and endorse the peaceful vocation of their society," said Ambassador Castro-Valle.

During the inauguration, Deputy Minister Castaneda expressed his appreciation for the role that Mexico and other countries played in achieving peace in El Salvador.
"Mexico was always present and is still with us thanks to the cooperation projects and excellent diplomatic relations we have maintained over the years," said Deputy Minister Castaneda.

Various panels discussed the importance of the peace agreements and the role played by Mexico in bringing peace to El Salvador, from the Franco-Mexican Declaration and the establishment of the Contadora Group, to Mexico’s participation in the UN Observer Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL).

The seminar was held in addition to the commemorative events taking place in El Salvador, including some organized by our Embassy there, as well as other events held in Paris, France earlier this year.