THE FOREIGN MINISTRY COMMEMORATES THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CONTADORA GROUP

• Foreign Secretary Meade and former Foreign Secretary Sepúlveda commemorate with great pride Mexico's role in the diplomatic initiative that paved the way for peace in Central America.

• The Foreign Secretary told diplomats from the region that Mexico's commitment to the integration and development of Latin America and the Caribbean will be renewed and strengthened.

 Foreign Secretary Jose Antonio Meade presided over a ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Contadora Group today with the message that Mexico remains highly committed to peace, integration, dialogue and political cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Speaking to diplomats from the region, academics and other special guests, Foreign Secretary Meade harkened back to the diplomatic initiative, three decades ago, that helped lay the groundwork for peace in the Central American nations, while reiterating Mexico's ongoing commitment to peace and regional security.

In his message, Foreign Secretary José Antonio Meade said Contadora was an example of a diplomacy committed to peace, security and development; that it was the epitome of imaginative, effective and pragmatic diplomacy designed to reach agreements, commitments and benefits for all parties involved.
The focus of the commemoration was the talk given by Bernardo Sepulveda Amor, Foreign Secretary of Mexico from 1982-1988 and current Vice Magistrate of the International Court of Justice. He explained the pro-Latin American principles that led Mexico to promote the Contadora Group.

He said that one of the political lessons derived from the experience of the Contadora Group was that Latin America is able, jointly, to resolve large-scale conflicts that affect the region on its own. "Together with its regional alliance system, Mexico succeeded in creating an area of peace in Central America." 

He further explained that over the past two decades, democracy has become the rule rather than the exception in Central America. Elections are held and power alternates between parties with no major controversy. The region's economy has remained reasonably stable and the process of regional integration continues. 

He mentioned that the political dialogue between the authorities in the region is a fluid one and that there is sufficient cooperation between the governments and civil society. Over the past 30 years, conflicts between countries and civil wars in Central America are no longer a subject of international concern. 

Dr. Ana Covarrubias, research professor at El Colegio de México: Dr. Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the Interamerican Developmetn Bank (IDB); and Ambassador Claude Heller stressed Mexico's commitment to regional peace and development. 

During the ceremony, Foreign Secretary Meade recognized the former leaders and foreign ministers who had participated in the Contadora Group process and in creating its Support Group: former President Vinicio Cerezo (Guatemala), former Foreign Secretary Bernardo Sepúlveda Amor (México): and former Foreign Ministers Fernando Andrade (Guatemala), Juan José Amado III (Panamá) and Alan Wagner (Perú).

As part of the commemoration, an exhibit of photographs and documents on the Contadora Group was inaugurated with the participation of former Central American foreign ministers and leaders invited to the event. 

The Mexican initiative of the Contadora Group, created on January 9, 1983, helped to design regional institutions through political dialogue and coordination which has continued to this day, as can be seen by the creation of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

Thirty years after its creation and at a time when President Enrique Peña Nieto has called for Mexico to step up as an actor with global responsibilities, the experience of the Contadora Group invites us to rethink and examine our foreign policy in order to make Mexico into a leader at the regional and global levels.