Mexico goes for more security cooperation with the US: Ebrard

Foreign Secretary, Marcelo Ebrard, assured that in terms of security, Mexico seeks to have a shared objective and common metrics with the United States through the Bicentennial Understanding.

During his speech at the forum of the Regional Meeting of the Unit Headquarters for North America within the framework of the XXXIII Meeting of Ambassadors and Consuls 2022, the Mexican foreign minister said that predictable scenarios are sought and reduce disruptive possibilities.

“The security agreements with the United States have depended on the will of the DEA. How much does it work for you? Well, until the DEA wants. It depends on each new crisis that we have, that the DEA came up with something; what we are trying to do with the Bicentennial Understanding is to have a predictable, measurable scenario where we are reducing those disruptive possibilities such as the kidnapping of Álvarez Machain to Cienfuegos,” he said before the diplomatic corps gathered at the Foreign Ministry.

“In terms of security, the goal is to have something more shared, to have common metrics. Mexico has also introduced other elements such as the issue of weapons, which is co-responsible for what is happening, and the same is going to happen to us with fentanyl, which is essentially a crisis created by the pharmaceutical industry, unlike other narcotics,” he added. .

Another issue on the bilateral agenda is migration, while Ebrard stressed that the US government has to modify its system in light of the demographic reality.

“In terms of migration, try to convince them that they have to modify their system, only politically I do not think it is viable in the short term, but they can probably do it in the medium term (…) the current demographic reality forces them, it is a decision that corresponds to them but the most sensible thing is to organize things in a different way”, he said.

window of opportunity

Likewise, he emphasized that he sees favorable perspectives in the relationship between Mexico, the United States and Canada, given that there are currently political assets greater than those of two years ago, and the dialogue at the last trilateral summit also showed this.

“Two years ago we did not have the Bicentennial Understanding, we did not have a common idea on migration, we did not have a system with a framework for resolving disputes, the treaty was still in question, we did not know if it was going to be ratified, now we are organizing panels. We did not have the same vision, it is more the idea of ​​North America had gone to a drawer”, he said.

He listed that programs such as the infrastructure plan, increased social support and increased taxes on large companies are initiatives that identify the three governments.

“We had an interesting dialogue, there are more coincidences,” he concluded.