On his first day in Paris, Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray met with French President Emmanuel Macron. Both officials agreed that the bilateral relationship should transcend short-term circumstances and they further agreed to renew the ties between Mexico and France.
Meeting in the Élysée Palace, Foreign Secretary Videgaray and the French president reaffirmed their commitment to projects that strengthen the binational partnership. They also met with members of the Franco-Mexican Strategic Council (CEFM), which makes recommendations on how to strengthen the bilateral ties.
The French president commented on the friendship that unites the peoples of both countries and his close relationship with President Enrique Peña Nieto, to whom he sent his greetings with Foreign Secretary Videgaray.
President Emmanuel Macron expressed his appreciation for the Mexican and French women and men on the Franco-Mexican Strategic Council who represent the cultural, scientific, artistic and business circles.
The president emphasized his commitment to the bilateral agenda between Mexico and France and expressed his great admiration for the work of the CEFM and for the time and energy it has dedicated to presenting specific proposals to both governments that contribute to the bilateral dialogue. In addition, he discussed projects in tourism, the environment, energy, science, education and academic and cultural cooperation.
The Foreign Secretary then spoke with the French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, with whom he exchanged views on current international challenges.
Both officials welcomed the signing of the administrative arrangement on cooperation in cultural heritage by the Secretary of Culture, María Cristina García Cepeda, and her French counterpart, François Nyssen, to restore and conserve historical monuments damaged by natural disasters.
The two officials also received recommendations from the CEFM, an unprecedented forum for collaboration between the public and private sectors of Mexico and France that is co-chaired by Fernando Chico Pardo, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, and Pierre André de Chalendar, Chairman and CEO of Saint-Gobain Group.
The council has added new issues to its agenda, such as creative industries, cinematography, climate change, innovation and urban environments, environmental solutions (renewable energies, water treatment, waste management), entrepreneurship, spatial analysis and agro-industry, and SMEs in industrial issues.
The CEFM is a unique forum for consultation that was created in 2013 by the leaders of Mexico and France, who wanted to embark on a new stage of the relationship between both nations.