The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
May 02, 2013
At the invitation of President Enrique Peña Nieto, President Barack Obama
travelled to Mexico City on May 2-3 to discuss the broad range of bilateral,
regional, and global issues that bind the United States and Mexico and touch the
daily lives of citizens of both countries. Building on their positive initial
meeting in Washington, D.C. last November, the two Presidents renewed their
commitment to the United States-Mexico relationship.
Looking ahead to the next 4 years during which their presidencies will
overlap, the two leaders noted the importance of taking advantage of
opportunities and harnessing the enthusiasm and optimism that a new stage in
bilateral relations brings. The Presidents underscored the strategic importance
of the bilateral relationship and expressed a desire for even greater
cooperation between their two nations. Specifically, the Presidents focused on:
1) economic competitiveness; 2) people-to-people connections; 3) leadership on
regional and global issues; and 4) citizen security.
Economic Competitiveness
Underpinning our successful United States-Mexico economic relationship are
trade and investment flows that support jobs in both countries. Bilateral trade
was almost half a trillion dollars in 2012.
The two Presidents agreed on the need to continue forging a close and
productive economic relationship to enhance their nations’ competitiveness and
to create more trade and investment opportunities. With this purpose, they
decided to establish a High Level Economic Dialogue, which will be chaired at
the cabinet level and focus on promoting competitiveness, productivity and
connectivity, fostering economic growth and innovation, and partnering for
global leadership. The leaders intend for the first meeting of the Dialogue to
take place later this year, include representatives from relevant agencies and
departments from both governments, and engage with relevant stakeholders,
notably the private sector.
The two leaders also discussed the importance of the United States and Mexico
working together, and with their Canadian partners, to make North America the
most dynamic and competitive region in the world. They agreed to seek a
successful conclusion to a high-standard Trans-Pacific Partnership this year
that includes 21st century provisions that significantly strengthen the North
American Free Trade Agreement. They also reiterated their commitment to the
resolution of specific trade issues between their countries, and their interest
in maintaining close coordination with regards to other relevant trade
negotiations.
The Presidents also underscored the importance to both countries of a secure
and efficient shared border. They noted the recent meeting of the 21st Century
Border Management Executive Steering Committee, the first under President Peña
Nieto’s tenure, and agreed to support key projects and initiatives that improve
infrastructure, support the efforts of local communities, facilitate the secure
flow of legitimate trade and travel, and enhance law enforcement cooperation
along the border.
President Obama and President Peña Nieto welcomed the positive steps the U.S.
Congress is taking to implement the Transboundary Hydrocarbon Agreement, which
will enhance energy security in North America and bolster the two countries’
responsible stewardship of the Gulf of Mexico. They look forward to full
implementation of the Agreement.
People-to-People Connections
The two leaders underscored the broad and deep connections that exist between
the peoples of both countries, and their importance to the prosperity and
culture of both societies.
The Presidents agreed to establish a Bilateral Forum on Higher Education,
Innovation, and Research. It should start meeting this year and bring together
government, academia, and civil society to develop a shared vision on
educational cooperation and propose concrete short-term and mid-term initiatives
to promote bilateral collaboration and policy coordination.
Both Presidents expressed support for the U.S. government’s “100,000 Strong
in the Americas Initiative” as a way of enhancing academic mobility between
Mexico and the United States.
President Obama noted that the bipartisan immigration bill recently
introduced in the U.S. Senate was largely consistent with the principles he has
repeatedly laid out. He reiterated his commitment to commonsense immigration
reform that would institute a fair and effective immigration system that lives
up to the United States’ heritage as a nation of laws and recognizes the
extraordinary contributions of immigrants, including generations of immigrants
from Mexico, to make the United States a strong and vibrant Nation. President
Peña Nieto recognized President Obama’s efforts to advance this issue, and
reaffirmed the Government of Mexico’s commitment to supporting the wellbeing of
Mexicans living abroad.
Global and Regional Leadership
The Presidents underscored the importance of their countries’ cooperation on
regional and international issues. These include job creation through sustained
economic growth, the protection of human rights, gender equality, democratic
governance, and addressing the challenges of climate change. They emphasized the
importance of the Equal Futures Partnership, which Mexico will formally join, as
a multilateral effort to expand women’s economic empowerment and political
participation.
As part of a commitment to working together in Central American and the
hemisphere, the two Leaders noted a recently concluded Memorandum of
Understanding for International Cooperation between the Secretariat of Foreign
Relation’s Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID)
and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that will
promote joint activities concerning development and cooperation with third
countries. The two Presidents also reaffirmed their support to increased
interconnection of electricity grids in the Americas, for example through the
Connecting the Americas 2022 initiative launched at the Sixth Summit of the
Americas.
Citizen Security
The Presidents reaffirmed their commitment to act as co-responsible partners
through a renewed collaborative approach to citizen security. President Peña
Nieto discussed the importance of ensuring a peaceful Mexico, as one of the five
main pillars of his government’s strategy, and of preventing crime by addressing
the conditions that contribute to its occurrence, and strengthening institutions
and the rule of law.
President Obama reiterated U.S. support for Mexico’s efforts, and in
particular for the transition to an accusatory system of justice that is
transparent, effective, and efficient. The Presidents also emphasized the
importance of continued actions against transnational organized crime, enhanced
counter-illicit finance and arms trafficking efforts, and measures to reduce
drug use and its consequences.
Presidents Obama and Peña Nieto will remain in close consultation on these
and other issues of mutual interest, in order to further advance the partnership
between their nations.
