Cuba, Venezuela, international cooperation against the pandemic and to face migratory emergencies. The Mexican Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, has asked this Thursday before the United Nations General Assembly for the end of the economic blockade of Havana and has defended the negotiation process between the Government and the majority opposition of Venezuela that began in Mexico City in August. The Secretary of Foreign Relations has stated that “in the face of the severe global economic and health crisis, it is urgent to put an end to the economic blockade against Cuba.”
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In line with the allegation in defense of the sovereignty of the island launched last week by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who addressed Joe Biden directly, Ebrard has considered that “instead of unilateral measures”, it is appropriate “to put in measures of solidarity and mutual support to promote economic growth and development ”. The Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, traveled to Mexico last week days before the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) as a special guest on the occasion of the commemorative acts of independence.
Mexican diplomacy has regained initiative, especially in the region, after a first part of the mandate focused on domestic politics. One of the latest examples is the facilitation of conversations between Chavismo and the opposition. “Mexico expresses its approval for the beginning of the process of negotiation and dialogue between the Government and the Unitary Platform of Venezuela, facilitated by Norway and whose meetings were held in our country,” the Foreign Minister stressed from New York. “We believe that it is through dialogue and negotiation that a solution will be found by Venezuelans regarding the future of Venezuela.”
Last Friday night Nicolás Maduro landed by surprise in the country to join the CELAC conclave. Despite taking center stage, more than 30 delegations led by heads of state, ministers and other representatives participated. According to Ebrard, the meeting demonstrated “the solidity of the mechanism for dialogue and political agreement” of the community, of which Mexico holds the pro tempore presidency and which it wants to turn the Organization of American States (OAS) into a regional alternative. “Two years after assuming this important responsibility, CELAC has shown its relevance in defining joint courses of action. It is a platform that allows the voice of Latin America and the Caribbean to be broadened in multilateral forums ”, stated the Secretary of Foreign Relations.
The central challenges facing the entire continent now have to do with vaccination programs and, to a large extent, with migration. Mexico and the United States are facing an emergency these days on the border between Texas and the State of Coahuila, where about 15,000 Haitian refugees were concentrated. The López Obrador government is looking for a regional response that, for now, has not been given. “In order to have safe, orderly and regular migratory flows, international cooperation is a crucial element for the communities of origin, transit and destination to develop their capacities without having to resort to emigration.” Ebrard has stated.
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