Following the December 22 ad hoc meeting in Mexico to
identify ways to address the situation of the thousands of Cuban emigrants in
Costa Rica, another meeting was held today in Guatemala City.
Based on the agreements reached at the first meeting in Mexico, and with a focus on shared responsibility, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Panama agreed to a pilot exercise in January to transport the Cuban emigrants, which will be reviewed in subsequent technical meetings.
Also, as agreed in Mexico, meetings will be held to redouble the effort to combat migrant smuggling and human trafficking.
Mexico welcomes the progress made in resolving the situation of the Cuban emigrants. These efforts reaffirm the validity of the principle under which Mexico promoted the December 22 meeting: that migration is an important issue for Latin America and the Caribbean that demands a collective solution from the countries of origin, transit and destination that promotes full respect for migrants’ human rights and recognizes their contribution to the development of all our countries.
Above and beyond the current situation, the approach taken by the region at the above-mentioned meetings has helped to create forums for cooperation so that, in the long-term, measures can be designed that address migration, including its structural causes and the increased migration between our countries.