The Mexican government has strengthened its political ties with the United States and Canada, finding common ground in education, trade, infrastructure, and mobility. At the same time, we have redoubled our efforts to improve the services we offer to Mexicans abroad, promoting strategies for their empowerment and integration.

In January 2015, President Enrique Peña Nieto made an official visit to the United States to discuss the most important bilateral issues with President Barack Obama and give impetus to the High-level Economic Dialogue (HLED), the Bilateral Forum on Higher Education, Innovation and Research (FOBESII), and cooperation in consular affairs.

Early this year, the second meeting of North American foreign ministers was held in Boston, Massachusetts to discuss international and regional issues as well as bilateral topics such as education, energy, innovation and competitiveness. The foreign ministers agreed on emphasizing a regional approach to their common challenges and on making North America a place of growth and global leadership.

In order to deepen Mexico’s economic, political and investment ties with various institutions in the U.S. and Canada, the governors of the states of Idaho, Arizona, Minnesota and Texas, and the Prime Minister of Quebec, visited Mexico in 2015.

The Foreign Ministry also has an ongoing and productive dialogue with the U.S. mayors, to promote trade and cooperation not only through our consulates, but also with high-level meetings. Highlights include meetings with the mayors of San Antonio, Houston, Denver and Philadelphia. In October, six Arizona mayors visited Mexico, led by Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton. Foreign Secretary Claudia Ruiz Massieu met with the delegation, which included the mayors of Tucson, Mesa, Surprise, Nogales and Yuma, as well as various business leaders.

Also in October, the Foreign Secretary traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with Secretary of State John Kerry, Vice President Joe Biden and National Security Advisor Susan Rice. She discussed the upcoming North American Leaders' Summit, to be held during the first half of 2016, and met with U.S.-Mexico specialists and the ambassadors and permanent representatives of the OAS member countries.

In 2015, the Foreign Ministry continued its close and fruitful dialogue with various research centers, business forums and the media in the United States, such as the Council on Foreign Relations, the Council of the Americas, the U.S.-Mexico CEO Dialogue, the American Council on Education, the World Affairs Council of Dallas-Fort Worth, the New York Times and Bloomberg, with the goal of explaining Mexico’s foreign policy, President Enrique Peña Nieto’s structural reforms and the opportunities for investment, trade and tourism available in Mexico.

In November, Mexico and Canada agreed on the importance of relaunching the bilateral relationship at a meeting between President Enrique Peña Nieto and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the G20 Antalya Summit in Turkey. In addition, Foreign Secretary Claudia Ruiz Massieu met with Canadian Foreign Minister Stéphane Dion on November 19, 2015, during the 23rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Manila, Philippines, where they reiterated their interest in reinvigorating the Mexico-Canada relationship.