FOREIGN SECRETARY PATRICIA ESPINOSA TRAVELS TO CANADA

Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa traveled to Canada on May 30th to meet with Foreign Minister John Baird. The meeting was a reciprocal one after a meeting in Mexico City in August 2011 shortly after Foreign Minister Baird assumed his current position.

The two officials discussed bilateral, regional and global issues and reviewed the progress made in implementing the 2010-2012 Action Plan agreed on by both countries that includes specific actions to strengthen the political and economic ties and cooperation between both countries.

Contact between Mexico and Canada has increased steadily in recent years, both in a bilateral and regional context. Each ranks as the third largest trading partner of the other, and Canada is the fourth largest source of foreign investment in Mexico. The high-level political dialogue is strong, and there is contact between the two nations at all levels of government. Each year, over one and a half million Canadian tourists visit Mexico.

During this visit, the 8th meeting of the Mexico-Canada Partnership will be held. This is the main forum for dialogue and cooperation between the public and private sectors of both countries.

While in Ottawa, Foreign Secretary Espinosa will also participate in the presentation to businessmen, academics and opinion leaders of the book Canada Among Nations 2011-2012, an influential annual publication on international relations, dedicated this year to the bilateral relationship.