High-profile leaders have gathered this week for the 2023 North American Leaders’ Summit to discuss the relationship between their countries and North America regarding migration, security, the economy, and climate change according to government officials.
The 2023 North American Leaders’ Summit was hosted by Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the president of Mexico City, Joseph R. Biden Jr., the president of the United States of America (USA), and the prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.
On January 9th, 10th, and 11th the leaders gathered at the National Palace in Mexico City. Obrador created an agenda that would allow for two bilateral meetings with each country and one trilateral. On Monday, Obrador and Biden met, on Tuesday the three leaders came together, and on Wednesday Obrador and Trudeau met.
According to the Government of Mexico website, the three leaders came together “to fortify our region’s security, prosperity, sustainability and inclusiveness through commitments across six pillars: 1) diversity, equity, and inclusion; 2) climate change and the environment; 3) competitiveness; 4) migration and development; 5) health; and 6) regional security.”
Obrador emphasized that a priority for him was economic commercial trade and integration. He said that this could be fulfilled by “creating a joint committee aimed at planning and substituting imports in North America so that we may try to be increasingly self-sufficient in this part of the world and to turn development cooperation into a reality.”
The leaders were asked a series of questions enabling information regarding the topics mentioned above to be shared with the world. Each president shared their ideas and hopes of what the future of North America could look like.
President Biden highlighted immigration and fentanyl. Biden illustrated the paths that have been created for some Latin American countries to safely and legally make it to the USA.
“In just the last six months, our joint patrols in Mexico have resulted in the arrest of more than 7,000 — 7,000 human smugglers,” Biden said in remarks posted by the White House. “And we’ve seized more than 20,000 pounds of deadly fentanyl at the border.”
In response to certain statements that Biden made, Obrador accused the USA of not helping the evolution of Latin America since 1961, after John F Kennedy’s Alliance for Progress. Obrador believes efforts have been minimal or nonexistent.
Biden clarified that in the past 15 years, there have been billions of dollars invested in the western hemisphere, and according to Biden, aid is not only going to the western hemisphere but the eastern as well. The USA is also helping countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
As a result, Obrador showed his gratitude toward Biden for being the first president of the USA to not build even one meter of a wall. According to MexicoBusiness.News, both presidents want to focus on strengthening the relationship between countries through “Mexican energy policies, the Mexican ban of GMO corn and the US’s interpretation of automotive rules of origin.”
Furthermore, Trudeau conversed about clean energy, the continental supply chain, and other matters. He explained that Canada has a big role to play by mining its critical minerals to help North America.
“From the critical minerals that go into the batteries and the batteries themselves that we’re starting to build, to the — to the steel and aluminum that is amongst the cleanest in the world being developed in Canada, to the technology, the innovation, from AI to engineering that is part of it — Canada is very much a partner in what we’re developing in terms of more resilient supply chain,” as said by Trudeau.
Trudeau not only focused on these impactful factors but on continuing Canada’s investments in Mexico. TransCanada is very important to Mexico because it contributes to supplying gas to the southeast of Mexico. Obrador also mentioned the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP), which gives Mexicans an opportunity to work in Canadian fields.
“Both countries promote respect for justice and equality for all, environmental conservation and support for indigenous peoples in order to make North America an even more prosperous region.” Trudeau said, demonstrating the relationship these two leaders have.
In sum, the North American Leaders’ Summit gave these three leaders a chance to engage in dialogue about strategies, ideas, and goals they have for North America. The leaders expressed their desire to see North America thrive on a wide spectrum of intricate issues. In the end, time can only tell what the future of North America will look like.
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