MEXICO AND CANADA REAFFIRM THEIR PARTNERSHIP

Thursday 14.02.13 | Mexico City | Press 033


Foreign Secretary José Antonio Meade met with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird in the Foreign Ministry this afternoon. This is the first official meeting between the two foreign ministers since Dr. Meade took office.

The two officials reaffirmed the bonds of friendship between Mexico and Canada and the commitment of their governments to strengthening the political dialogue at the highest level and continuing their cooperation.

They discussed the new aspects of the Mexico-Canada 2013-2015 Joint Action Plan and they agreed to establish specific lines of action to achieve concrete results in the areas of labor mobility; educational, technical, scientific and cultural cooperation; and security, among others. They also agreed on the need to further promote bilateral ties in economic matters in order to increase trade and investment between the two countries.

The Foreign Secretary and Foreign Minister Baird agreed to keep in close communication with regard to the upcoming meeting of the Mexico – Canada Partnership and the various meetings for bilateral discussion and cooperation that will be held this year. They also discussed the priorities of each country on the North American agenda in preparation for the upcoming Summit of North American Leaders that will be held this year in Mexico. In principle, Mexico stressed its interest in including competitiveness and technological and educational innovation on the agenda for the meeting.

Lastly, the foreign policy heads of Mexico and Canada discussed the regional and multilateral agendas and issues of common interest for cooperation with Central America. Canada’s interest in becoming an observer of the Pacific Alliance was discussed, as were the prospects for progress in reducing tariffs and other areas covered by this innovative integration project, as well as the next steps in the process.