EU-Mexico Strategic Dialogue: Joint press conference by High Representative/Vice President Kaja Kallas and Roberto Velasco, Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs
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Dear Minister Velasco, dear Roberto,
It is really a pleasure to be here in Mexico City and also in your Foreign Ministry. I really love the arts that you have here, everywhere you go.
We saw each other recently, when you were in Brussels, and visiting our offices, really building the relationships for the future.
Today, we are hosting the first ever Strategic Dialogue, with Mexico, and it is important to say that Mexico is a strategic partner for the European Union. You are influential voice also in Latin America, but also globally, including in the United Nations, but also G20.
When EU and Mexico vote in the United Nations, we vote for the same principles and same values. That matters more than ever as economic coercion, and supply chain disruptions are becoming a new normal.
To hold the chaos at bay, like-minded partners, must work more closely together, and that is exactly what Europe and Mexico are doing. Today, we discussed several pressing issues, including the situation in Cuba, Venezuela.
After decades of mismanagement and political repression, Cuba's economic crisis is really reaching a breaking point. Cuban people deserve opportunity and freedom, not more control and isolation.
In Venezuela, of course, reforms are also moving forward, but progress remains fragile, so we are looking what can be done, what matters for us, is the democratic commitments that they would respect, and also economic reforms.
When it comes to Europe and Mexico joining forces, then we have leverage when we do that. And that brings me to tomorrow's summit. This meeting marks an important milestone for EU-Mexico relations. It will be our first summit in more than a decade, and at the moment, when the international order is taking a heavy beating, this is about more than just trade. It is a geopolitical statement.
The European Union is Mexico's third largest trading partner. Our trade has grown by 75% over the past decade. Both Mexico and European Union are seeking to diversify and de-risk supply chains and also partnerships. And there is a clear mutual interest in working more closely together.
The main summit deliverables will be an updated global agreement, and the interim trade agreement. And these agreements are the result of many years of negotiations and hard work, and we are grateful for all the people that have been doing that, including the Ambassadors -thank you for that.
These agreements will remove the main barriers to trade and investment, and this includes strategic sectors, such as raw materials, agriculture, and services. And they will also strengthen supply chains, open new opportunities and businesses, and help both economies compete globally.
Over 10,000 European companies already invest in Mexico. And all this will translate into growth, jobs, and investment, both sides of the Atlantic. Beyond trade, we will work closer on security, migration, and environmental protection.
We are stepping up our cooperation between Europol and Mexican law enforcement to fight organised crime. So overall, this is a very strong package that the Presidents will endorse tomorrow. And alongside this, the EU’s Global Gateway will support a stronger, greener, and more diversified Mexican economy. We want to invest in sectors where European technology, expertise, and financing can support Mexico's modernisation.
And of course, this partnership is a two-way street, where both Mexico and EU will win, and tomorrow, I expect our Presidents to announce the financial scope of this cooperation. Europe and Mexico cannot end global uncertainty. That is also very clear, but together, we can reduce its impact and shape the future of our own. Tomorrow's summit sends a clear message: European Union and Mexico are partners who can rely on each other.
Dear Roberto,
Thank you again for welcoming us and all of us here. And of course, speaking of hospitality, then let me also wish Mexico every success to cohost the upcoming world's most important sporting event this summer. And I might say that my team has written in these papers that football is really not my cup of tea, but I want to assure you this is not the case.
So, I will definitely watch the first game where Mexico is playing with South Africa and wish you all the best in hosting those games.
Thank you very much.
Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-289442
Q&A
Q. Yo quería ahondar un poco los temas de la agenda multilateral que han abordado. Me gustaría han mencionado que han abordado la situación de Cuba. Entonces me gustaría preguntarles cuál es la postura oficial tanto del bloque comunitario como de México a la reciente imputación formal en Estados Unidos del expresidente Raúl Castro. Y para más concreto, en el caso de México, también me gustaría preguntar un poco. Sabemos que Estados Unidos y Cuba están manteniendo diálogo. No sé qué papel está jugando México -o sé si de mediador o un poco está ejerciendo esa contraparte con las con tanto Cuba como México, tanto Cuba como Estados Unidos. Y si tiene previsto el canciller tener una reunión presencial con Marco Rubio, porque si no me equivoco, ha hablado por teléfono, pero todavía no se han visto presencialmente y ya la última, si saben si acudirá el presidente estadounidense Donald Trump a la inauguración del Mundial aquí en México.
On the multilateral front, what we discussed today is that we are clearly seeing the world in a similar way, that we want a world that is based on some kind of rules, and there we are definitely on the same side when it comes to values and interests, also on the multilateral fora. And we discussed how to develop cooperation even further.
Of course, we discussed Cuba as well. For us it is important that Cuban people have the right of choice, and it is clear that the political repression must end and the grip over the economy as well, so that the Cuban people have the opportunities that they deserve.