The Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, Carlos Ramiro Martínez, to follow up on priority bilateral, regional and multilateral issues and strengthen the relationship between the two countries.
This is the first visit of the Guatemalan foreign minister to Mexico after President Bernardo Arévalo’s inauguration on January 14.
At the meeting, the two officials agreed on a new era of closer bilateral relations, based on the areas of agreement between Presidents Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Bernardo Arévalo, and the high level of dialogue and cooperation between the two nations.
An example of this is Guatemala’s support for Mexico after the violent raid carried out by the Ecuadorian police on the Mexican embassy on the night of April 5, which represented a flagrant and serious violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Secretary Bárcena thanked Guatemala for its solidarity and reiterated that it is essential to respect the inviolability of diplomatic representations around the world.
To mark the 175th anniversary of diplomatic relations between both countries, which was celebrated recently, the two officials agreed on the need to relaunch the Binational Commission with a new structure that will allow it to become a strategic partnership in the future.
On trade, they reiterated the importance of monitoring the infrastructure and transit of goods at the formal border crossings. They commended the work done by the customs authorities of both countries to launch a pilot program for joint cargo clearance at the customs offices located in Ciudad Hidalgo and Tecún Umán.
They also welcomed the progress made in labor mobility between Mexico and Guatemala, and the close collaboration between the Labor Ministry and National Employment Services of the two countries.
Secretary Bárcena thanked Guatemala for its invitation and confirmed her attendance at the Ministerial Meeting of the Los Angeles Declaration in May. She invited Minister Martinez to participate in the High-Level Meeting on Human Mobility and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, to be held in Mexico City in June.
Minister Martinez also confirmed Guatemala's attendance at the third Ministerial Conference on Feminist Foreign Policies, to be held from July 1-3 in Mexico City.
In the area of cooperation, they highlighted the excellent results of the Sembrando Vida (Sowing Life) program in Guatemala, which began operating in October 2023 and benefits 14,000 recipients, 63 percent of whom are women. The program is operating in 13 departments and 53 municipalities in Guatemala, including the K'iche, Kaqchikel, Maya, Xinca, Poqomam, Mam, Ixil and Sipakapense indigenous communities.
Finally, the two officials signed a letter of intent between Mexico and Guatemala to strengthen the protection, care and return of migrant children and adolescents, which will lead to the negotiation of an agreement to strengthen cooperation and coordination in this area.
