Mexico City, April 24, 2014– The Secretariats of National Defence and the Navy report that the Second Trilateral Meeting of North American Defence Ministers was held today in Mexico City, by authorization of President Enrique Peña Nieto. Participants in the meeting included Mr. Robert D. Nicholson, Minister of Defence of Canada; Mr. Charles Timothy Hagel, Secretary of Defence of the U.S.A.; General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, Mexican Secretary of National Defence, and Admiral Vidal Francisco Soberón Sanz, Mexican Secretary of the Navy.
Upon conclusion of the meeting, and based on the topics addressed, the aforementioned officials agreed to issue the following joint declaration:
Due to the depth of our relationships, our geography, demography and economic integration, our three nations share mutual defence interests. The threats to North America and the hemisphere are increasingly complex and require a coordinated response. Based on the process of the North American Leaders Summit, we remain committed to improving our common understanding of these threats and to developing the skills needed to confront them effectively.
Our countries recognize the importance of the work that has been done through the first trilateral meeting and we pledge to continue to address the challenges we have identified in the region. We agree that transnational threats require transnational responses. Through the work of the Second Trilateral Meeting of Defence Ministers and based on the foundations established in the first meeting, we have identified the following areas in which to extend our trilateral defense cooperation:
- Update the assessment of continental threats from North America, to deepen our understanding of common threats and challenges we face.
- Continue to identify measures and procedures to support civil public security institutions.
- Develop mechanisms to work together in order to increase the efficiency of our Armed Forces in support of civil institutions in cases of natural or man-made disasters.
- Share information regarding cyber-defence challenges and methods to address them.
- Identify opportunities to coordinate activities that help strengthen security in the border areas of the North American region.
- Continue to work together to strengthen hemispheric defence forums such as the Conference of Defence Ministers of the Americas and the Inter-American Defence Board.
The Secretariats of National Defence and the Navy organized and participated in the Second Trilateral Meeting of North American Defence Ministers, in accordance with the instructions of the President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces to expand and strengthen Mexico’s presence as a Globally Responsible Stakeholder.
PRESS RELEASE
Mexico City, April 18, 2014
No. 295 /14
• Mexico Pavilion established at the 2014 Canadian Produce Marketing Association expo in Vancouver, Canada.
• Attending agribusinesses promoted fresh products such as avocado, mango, asparagus, green peppers, tomatoes, papaya, green beans, blackberries, garlic and chillies, among others.
• Participants reported immediate sales of $11,442,000 in the short and medium term. 
The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) set up the Mexico Pavilion in which 34 agribusinesses from different states offered their products at the 2014 annual convention and trade show of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), held in Vancouver, Canada, from April 2 to 4.
Mexican producers and marketers offered fresh products including avocado, mango, guava, eggplant, squash, grapefruit, lemon, cucumber, raspberries, asparagus, jalapeno and habanero peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, green pepper, blackberries, strawberries, papaya, green beans, garlic, and tomatoes.
Participants reported immediate sales of $11,442,000 in the short and medium term.
Through the Agricultural Market Development and Marketing Services Agency (ASERCA) and the Coordinating Office for International Affairs, sales to Canada of Mexican fresh fruits and vegetables have grown over the past eight years.
In the case of blackberries, raspberries and blueberries, an increase of 504% was reported; avocado, 285%; green pepper, 183%; mango and guava, 145%, and tomato, 123%.
This event is one of the largest exhibitions of fresh produce in Canada, bringing together the major players in the country’s agricultural product supply chain.
The exhibition is a welcome platform for Mexican producers, who this year reported new business relationships with potential customers, in addition to enabling them to become aware of the latest innovations and market trends.
During the event different dishes prepared with participating products were sampled, a strategy that can generate business relationships between the Mexican agribusiness participants and buyers and importers.
The Mexico Pavilion was inaugurated by the Consul of Mexico in Vancouver, Claudia Franco; the Minister of the Agricultural Office of Mexico in Canada, Raúl López Mercado; CPMA President Ron Lemaire; the President of the Convention, Scott Fairbairn, and CPMA Chairman of the Board, Walt Breeden.
It should be noted that during the event, the Mexico Pavilion was recognized as being one of the best in terms of design and innovation.
The Pavilion was one of the most visited by leading representatives of the major distributors and marketers in the Canadian market, such as Star Group and Oppy, among others.
A Seminar on Fruit and Vegetable Exports to Canada was also organized by the Agricultural Office of Mexico in Canada, involving 23 of the participating companies, where the importance of the Canadian market and regulations for exports to Canada were explained; as well, the seminar featured testimonials of success stories.
Press Release No. 144
Mexico City, April 13, 2014
- More than 1,500 delegates from around the world are arriving in Mexico, including the Secretaries General of the UN and the OECD.
- The Global Partnership seeks to have governments and other stakeholders work together to help meet current and future development objectives in the world.
Mexico expects to welcome more than 1,500 personalities in politics, business and international civil society, including heads of state and government, ministers, business leaders, heads of international and regional organizations, academics, parliamentarians and members of civil society. Some of the high-level participants include UN Secretary General Ban Ki -Moon, and the Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, José Angel Gurría, among others.
Less than a year from the deadline for meeting the Millennium Development Goals, there are still many setbacks to overcome. The Global Partnership, which involves the equal participation of governments, civil society, the business sector, local government and parliamentarians, seeks to become a means to respond to the great challenges facing humanity in today’s complex social dynamics. This partnership will also assist in implementing the new development agenda agreed on in 2015.
The meeting, which will be inaugurated by President Enrique Peña Nieto, will cover a busy agenda addressing, among other issues, the mobilization of domestic resources for development; cooperation with middle-income countries, which include Mexico; cooperation among developing countries, known as South-South cooperation, and the private sector's contribution to development. Also, 36 discussion sessions will be held to address issues related to each of the main points on the agenda, and will include the participation of some of the world's most renowned experts in the field.
As host of the first High Level Meeting, Mexico seeks to promote dialogue and consensus-building among various state and non-state actors to strengthen and advance the agenda for effective development cooperation. This agenda seeks to enhance the impact of international cooperation actions for development, the principles of national ownership of cooperative actions; results-based actions; transparency and accountability, and partnerships for inclusive development.
The Global Partnership emerged during the fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, held in Busan, South Korea, in December 2011. More than 160 countries participated voluntarily and over 40 countries have been involved in follow-up exercises to measure the implementation of the objectives set out during the forum.
On Monday, prior to the meeting, the Senate, in coordination with the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa, will organize a meeting at its primary offices. The same day, more than 150 representatives of national and international civil society will also meet in a "Global Civil Society Forum for Development Effectiveness". In both forums the substantive issues of the Global Partnership will be discussed.
For Mexico, hosting this event of global significance is another step forward in consolidating itself as a globally responsible stakeholder.
Ottawa, Canada, April 15, 2014
The Ambas
sador of Mexico to Canada, Francisco Suárez Dávila, along with the Vice-Dean of the University of Ottawa, Andrew Taylor, and Acting Chairman of the Faculty of Arts, May Telmissany, inaugurated the International Colloquium "Octavio Paz: Labyrinths of the Poet". The event was coordinated by the University and the Embassy to commemorate the centennial of the birth of the great Mexican poet and Nobel laureate.
The symposium was attended by scholars from Venezuela, the United States, Canada and
Mexico. Speakers covered various facets of the work of Octavio Paz. Dr. Javier Moreno Rico, a historian from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), recounted Paz’s life and how it relates to his poetry. A section of the conference was dedicated to Octavio Paz and Feminism, in which his writings on Malinche and Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz were explored. There were also panels dedicated to his poetry and one dedicated to psychological studies on Mexican-ness and its relationship to the Labyrinth of Solitude.
During his presentation, Ambassador Suárez spoke about two aspects of the life of the great poet: his rich diplomatic career, and Octavio Paz as a visionary essay writer on modern Mexico. The Ambassador also highlighted the concept that Paz called the “revenge of particularisms,” which was a foresight of conflicts that arose following his death, such as the one involving the Tamils in Sri Lanka and the current conflict in the Ukraine.
Friday 11.04.14| Mexico City | Press Release 141
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) expresses the condolences of the Government of Mexico upon the untimely passing of Jim Flaherty, former Minister of Finance of Canada, who died yesterday in Ottawa.
Flaherty was an outstanding public servant, always interested in promoting close relations between Mexico and Canada. He maintained a close working relationship with his Mexican peers and participated in important international forums held in our country, including the First Meeting of Ministers of Finance of America and the Caribbean (Cancun, 2008), the G-20 Summit (Los Cabos, 2012) and the Meeting of Ministers of Finance and Central Bank Governors of the G-20 (Mexico City, 2012).