President Alejandro Giammattei and the Mexican Foreign Ministry inaugurate a new Mexican consulate in Petén, Guatemala

President Alejandro Giammattei and the Mexican Foreign Ministry inaugurate a new Mexican consulate in Petén, Guatemala

Foreign Ministry officials, accompanied by President Alejandro Giammattei of Guatemala, today inaugurated the Mexican consulate in Peten, the largest department in Guatemala, which borders with the Mexican states of Campeche, Chiapas and Tabasco.

On behalf of Foreign Secretary Ebrard, the inauguration was led by Moisés Poblanno, head of the Foreign Ministry Administration and Finance Unit; Amexcid Executive Director Laura Elena Carrillo; the Mexican ambassador in Guatemala, Romeo Ruíz; and the head of the new consulate, Consul Carlos Iván González.

The new consulate is the fourth in Guatemala, where there are already consulates in Quetzaltenango, Tecún Uman and Guatemala City, giving Mexico the largest consular network in Latin America.

President Giammattei, who was accompanied by Foreign Minister Mario Adolfo Búcaro of Guatemala, welcomed this evidence of the promise he made to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that, during his government, the relationship between Mexico and Guatemala would reach unprecedented levels of closeness. He said that the new consular office would facilitate regular, circular and optional migration.

"It is our gateway to doing everything in a legal way and, therefore, it contributes to the policy we have set in motion together with the Guatemalan and Mexican Foreign Ministries, of having regular, circular, safe and, above all, optional migration," said the president of Guatemala.

Moisés Poblanno agreed with President Giammattei about the excellent relationship between the two countries and the political dialogue that has been achieved between the two governments.

"Petén, in addition to being the largest department in Guatemala, is where one of the eight formal border crossings between the two countries is located," he said.

He said that the addition of a new consulate reflects the intense cooperation between the two nations, "based on a framework of trust, fraternity and social responsibility."

The event kicks off the commemoration of the 175th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Guatemala, and fulfills the commitment made by President López Obrador during his visit to Guatemala on May 5, 2022.

Amexcid Executive Director Laura Elena Carrillo said that opening a fourth consulate in Guatemala demonstrates the friendship between the two countries, which is in line with the policy of Presidents López Obrador and Giammattei.

She said that, for Amexcid, the consulate would be a place "where those in charge of international cooperation will receive support to continue advancing and working on projects that, for example, we already have here, such as Sembrando Vida."

Lastly, Mexico's ambassador in Guatemala, Romeo Ruiz, expressed his appreciation for the support received from Guatemalan business executives to ready the consulate.

The new Mexican consulate in Petén will offer a full range of consular services and will assist the Mexicans who reside in Guatemala. In addition, foreigners with roots in Mexico will be able to apply for Mexican nationality and obtain immigration documents to enter Mexico.

The new consulate is located in the town of Santa Elena at the Metroplaza Mundo Maya Shopping Center, Satellite City, Flores municipality.