The presidents of Mexico and the United States, Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Joe Biden, respectively, held a meeting on Monday in Mexico City where they discussed the needs of the American continent in the coming years, highlighting issues such as cooperation and migration.
Specifically, the Mexican president shared with his counterpart his belief that Biden is «a humanist and visionary ruler», which is why he stressed the importance of initiating «a new policy of economic and social integration» in the continent, according to a press release from the Mexican Presidency.
To this end, López Obrador has asked for more economic aid for all Latin America, referring to the Alliance for Progress plan promoted by former US President John F. Kennedy, with which 10 billion dollars (9,320 million euros) were distributed to countries throughout the region.
«I maintain that it is time to put an end to that oblivion, that abandonment, that disdain towards Latin America and the Caribbean, opposed to the policy of good neighborliness of that titan of freedom that was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and to begin with you, because there would be no other leader who could carry out this enterprise, (…) a new stage among the peoples and nations of the continent based on respect and mutual aid», López Obrador reiterated to Biden.
In this sense, the President of Mexico has conveyed to his US counterpart that «he has the key» to open and improve «substantially» the relations between all the countries of the American continent.
«I know that it is a complex and controversial initiative, and I am aware that its implementation implies numerous difficulties, but in my opinion there is no better way to guarantee the prosperous, peaceful and just future that our peoples, our compatriots, as well as all the peoples of the continent and future generations deserve,» added the Mexican head of state.
«The proposal, President Biden, is comprehensive, it involves consolidating ourselves as an economic region in the world, strengthening brotherhood in the American continent, respecting our differences and our sovereignty, and ensuring that no one is left behind and that together we go in search of the beautiful utopia of freedom, equality and true democracy,» he added.
All in all, Biden described Mexico as «a true partner» and stressed that when both countries work together with common values and mutual respect «there is nothing» they cannot do.
In response to López Obrador’s request, Biden recalled that in the last 15 years, the United States has spent «billions of euros in this hemisphere».
«The United States provides more foreign assistance than any other country, all together, all over the world, not only in the hemisphere, but all over the world,» said Biden during his speech.
However, he recognized the importance of «continuing to support and build democratic institutions» in the hemisphere.
He also emphasized the need to talk about shared security, including joint action to address «the plague of fentanyl, which has killed 100,000 Americans so far». He also highlighted as relevant the management of irregular immigration, an issue that «is already well underway».
«The last fundamental change that happened in global politics was after World War II and now we are at a totally different juncture, we are at a turning point, what we do in the next few years is going to change what the world will look like in the next few decades, and we have the opportunity to do that and I think we are in a very good place to be able to do that,» the US president added.
He added that the responsibility of the United States does not end in Latin America, but also extends to the center of Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia.
«I wish we could focus on just one region, but we focus on multiple regions and this is what we have to work on. I feel confident that we can do much more in the coming years,» he said.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
