Mexico strengthens cooperation with the League of Arab States

Mexico strengthens cooperation with the League of Arab States

• The Mexican Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Palestinian Agriculture Ministry sign a Technical Cooperation Agreement, and Mexico and Jordan sign an agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters.

Yesterday, Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena Ibarra and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States (LAS), Abdulkhalig bin Rafaa headed the presentation of the public policy report for strengthening Mexico's relations with Arab countries.

Also participating were the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Víctor Villalobos Arámbula; the head of the National Customs Agency, André Georges Foullon Van Lissum; the dean of the Arab Group in Mexico and Palestinian Ambassador Mohamed Saadat; and Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs María Teresa Mercado Pérez.

The report makes recommendations for collaboration between Mexico and the 22 Arab League member countries and identifies areas of opportunity to improve cooperation.

In her remarks, Secretary Bárcena said that the report represents "an unprecedented effort between Mexico and the Arab countries to strengthen ties and bring us closer to a goal we share: the well-being of our societies and our peoples."

"Our cultures, translated into foreign policy, have been positioning Mexico and the League of Arab States as respected voices in the global south that benefit from dynamic exchanges [...] We have many more valuable opportunities for cooperation, based on our strategic locations for the relocation of global supply chains and the complementarity of our economies," she said.

Secretary Bárcena stressed that, during President López Obrador's administration, 26 agreements have been signed with LAS countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. There has been a significant increase in trade between the regions.

She thanked the Arab League for its condemnation of the illegal and cowardly attack by the Government of Ecuador on the Mexican embassy and its diplomatic personnel. "Violations such as this one, of the most fundamental principles of international law, risk further undermining the stability of the region and the world. It is comforting to share with you, the peoples and governments of the League of Arab States, the importance of respect for international law as a guiding principle of foreign policy," she said.

Ambassador Abdulkhalig bin Rafaa highlighted the deep relationship between the Arab League and Mexico and Latin America, and their historical ties of cooperation. He emphasized Mexico's continuing defense of human rights and thanked Mexico for always promoting justice and international law as regards the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Ambassador Mohamed Saadat said, "As Arab ambassadors, we are committed to continue working to achieve our mutual aspirations and promote our relations and the aspirations of our peoples [...] the desire of our Arab peoples is for a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict and the self-determination of the Palestinian people."

Agriculture Secretary Villalobos underscored Mexico's commitment to international cooperation in the agrifood sector, which contributes to food security in our country and in the Middle East and North Africa.

Following the presentation of the report, a Technical Cooperation Agreement was signed between the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture. The agreement will expand international collaboration in the areas of agricultural production in arid zones, technology, animal and plant health, agricultural and livestock conversion, food system restoration and the optimization of distribution and trade channels.

The Mexican Agriculture Ministry joins the inter-institutional work of signing technical and scientific cooperation agreements of joint interest. A second agreement was signed between Mexico and Jordan on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters, to combat illicit international trade policies.

Finally, it was announced that seven more agreements in different areas would be signed with four Arab countries in the near future, once negotiations have concluded.