Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray held a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to review issues on the bilateral agenda.
The two officials also talked about the effects of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. On behalf of the United States, Tillerson expressed appreciation for the help offered by Mexico. “I want to thank the government of Mexico for its very generous offer of assistance. They have coordinated with the governor of Texas and also with FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency). It’s very generous of Mexico to offer their help at this very challenging time for Texas,” he said. For his part, Foreign Secretary Videgaray again expressed Mexico’s sympathy for all those affected, and the Mexican government’s readiness to assist in any way possible to help overcome the serious situation.
The Secretaries agreed on the importance of the work done by both governments at the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America and on the need for timely follow-up to the meeting’s agreements in support of the Northern Triangle countries, and they renewed their commitment to make progress with the pending tasks related to both economic development and security. At a regional level, they discussed the situation in Venezuela and the deterioration of its democracy.
With respect to the NAFTA negotiations, led for Mexico by the Economy Ministry, Foreign Secretary Videgaray said that Mexico’s position would continue to be serious and constructive, and would put national interest first while seeking a positive outcome for all three countries. The Secretaries agreed to continue the frank, open and direct dialogue on this and all issues of the bilateral relationship.
Earlier, Foreign Secretary Videgaray had held a meeting with Lieutenant General H. R. McMaster, the U.S. National Security Adviser, to review interagency coordination on the bilateral agenda in general terms. Secretary Videgaray was accompanied at both meetings by Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, Gerónimo Gutiérrez.