U.S. Sec. of State Antony Blinken met earlier this week with Mexico's Foreign Sec. Marcelo Ebrard to discuss the 200-year relationship between the two countries and ways to strengthen cooperation in the future, the State Department (DOS) announced.
DOS spokesperson Ned Price stated Blinken "congratulated Foreign Secretary Ebrard on the bicentennial of our bilateral relations and noted the upcoming North American Leaders’ Summit (NALS) offers an opportunity to showcase our historic relationship" when the two officials met Dec. 16 in Washington, D.C. President Joe Biden will meet with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Mexico for the next NALS, scheduled for Jan. 9 and 10, ABC News reports.
Blinken and Ebrard "discussed the close partnership between the United States and Mexico on various bilateral and multilateral issues," Price stated in the announcement, "and progress made together in achieving shared regional goals on security, humane migration management and protection, and economic competitiveness.
Price stated also that Blinken "noted the importance of resolving trade disputes to bolster regional competitiveness and strengthen economic integration in North America."
In July, U.S. Trade Rep. Katherine Tai announced the U.S. had requested dispute settlement consultations with Mexico to address alleged violations of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on free trade. The consultations, a precursor to filing a trade complaint, pertain to changes made by Mexico that favor Mexico's state-owned power companies and undermine American companies and energy production. Canada has also filed for consultations, according to ABC News.
Blinken acknowledged in a post to Twitter on Dec. 19 that he and Ebrard had discussed "our close partnership and continued cooperation on security, migration, and economic competitiveness.
"The U.S. and Mexico continue to work as equal partners toward a peaceful and prosperous future for our region,” Blinken stated in the post.
