Belize City, May 7 2022.
On May 7, 2022, the President of the United Mexican States, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, undertook a working visit to Belize where he held a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister, Juan Antonio Briceño.
This visit is the third meeting between the Leaders; Prime Minister Juan Antonio Briceño visited Mexico in September 2021, coinciding with the commemorative events of the Independence of Mexico, while participating in the VI Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Mexico City and was the guest of honor at the ceremony of the 256th anniversary of the birth of José María Morelos y Pavón, held in the state of Morelos.
Mexico and Belize have developed a constructive relationship as neighbors and friends over more than 40 years since diplomatic relations were established. The Leaders exchanged views on the global and regional landscape which are riddled with unprecedented and deepening challenges ranging from the pandemic, the tenuous economic recovery, climate crisis, increasing migration and geopolitical tensions.
The Leaders reiterated their commitment to deepen the relationship at all levels in light of the shared understanding between the two governments.
As a result of the visit, both Leaders:
- Witnessed the signing of a Letter of Intent by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration, Eamon Courtenay for the implementation of the Sowing Life project in Belize, with a view to benefiting rural producers with training and implementation of agro-silvo-pastoral production systems, thereby contributing to food security and job creation.
- Endorsed Mexico’s desire to contribute to the strengthening of the Belizean educational system and agreed to explore the development of “Escuela México” programme of support for three educational institutions which specialize in technical vocation. With these additions, there will be a total of four Mexico Schools in Belize, since there is currently one campus in Corozal.
- Committed to exchange experiences and good practices in transportation and infrastructure and instructed the competent authorities to hold technical meetings to explore the feasibility of linking the “Mayan Train”, one of the main infrastructure and development projects for southeastern Mexico, with Belize.
- Instructed their respective authorities in economic and trade matters to work to increase commercial exchange between the two countries and endorse an instrument to that end. Also, welcomed the agreement on sanitary certification in respect of cattle and directed their relevant authorities to continue efforts to further facilitate the export of cattle.
- Expressed interest in strengthening air connectivity between the two countries and instructed their teams to resume the negotiation of the Air Transport Agreement, in order to promote tourism and economic flows. Belize congratulated Mexico on the recent start of operations of the “Felipe Ángeles” International Airport and both parties agreed to exchange experiences in the construction of strategic infrastructure for the development of the tourism sector.
- Welcomed Belize’s forthcoming signing of the Agreement of the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (CEFTA), thus joining 20 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean that determined the desirability of having a regional organization to coordinate exploration, research and technology activities in the space field that contribute to comprehensive and sustainable development.
- Recognized Belize’s successful work during its Chairmanship of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which ends on June 30, 2022, and is valuable in bringing Mexico and the Caribbean closer together.
- Agreed to promote the holding, during the second half of 2022, of an International Conference in Central America with the aim of promoting an Action Plan that addresses the structural causes of migration and includes concrete investment actions for development. Welcomed with gratitude the offer of Honduras to host such a conference.
- Recognized that the international health contingency and the prevailing shortage situation, together with the economic, social and humanitarian consequences they generate, have made it clear that dialogue and cooperation are indispensable tools for humanity to overcome these challenges. For this reason, they make a meaningful and urgent call for the IX Summit of the Americas to be consolidated as the space for plural, open and inclusive dialogue, in which all the voices of the hemisphere, without exclusion, are allowed to be heard.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador thanked the Government and people of Belize for their warmth, hospitality, and the attention given to him and his entourage during his working visit.
