- South Korea offers Mexico 800,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for children
- The two countries will cooperate for the development of Central America
- Foreign Secretary Ebrard thanked South Korea for its participation in the Dos Bocas refinery
Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard and South Korean Foreign Minister Jin today agreed to promote a bilateral Free Trade Agreement, as well as South Korea's accession to the Pacific Alliance as an Associate State. The two officials met in Seoul on Monday. They committed to strengthening bilateral trade and signed a triangular cooperation agreement to finance development in Central America.
“We are very happy that our relationship is marking its 60th anniversary. We think that the new stage that we are beginning today by seeking free trade between our countries is very important,” said Mexico's Foreign Secretary. We will also seek “to share experiences and interests, for example, in pharmaceutical activities, vaccines and vaccine research and space and technology that is related to space exploration," he added.
On behalf of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Foreign Secretary Ebrard thanked South Korea for its participation in developing the Dos Bocas refinery in Tabasco.
Minister Park Jin said, "Mexico is gaining importance as the main investment destination and manufacturing base for Korean companies in America." He said South Korea would donate 800,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for Mexico's children, and underscored his agreement with Foreign Secretary Ebrard on the need to strengthen health cooperation between the two countries.
During their meeting, and in the company of Mexico's ambassador to South Korea, Bruno Figueroa, Marcelo Ebrard and Park Jin signed a cooperation agreement for development in Central America. The two countries will promote joint development for El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, in order to address the causes of migration in Central America.
Foreign Secretary Ebrard is heading a Mexican delegation comprised of Foreign Ministry officials and executives from the pharmaceutical and academic sectors as well as Mexican business executives. During the tour, they will meet with their Korean counterparts to seek business deals and agreements on cooperation in the pharmaceutical, academic and innovation sectors.
The Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Carmen Moreno, met with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), the Korea Pharmaceutical Traders Association (KPTA) and South Korean companies interested in entering the Mexican market.
The Foreign Secretary and the Mexican delegation will remain in South Korea for two more days to promote technical and scientific cooperation projects. They will also explore trade and investment opportunities, especially in technology and innovation, and will work on supplying Mexico with priority medicines.
The Mexican delegation includes the following Foreign Ministry officials: Daniel Millán, Chief of Staff to the Foreign Secretary; Jennifer Feller, Director General for Political Planning and the G20; Fernando González, Director General for Asia-Pacific; Javier Dávila, Director General for Cooperation Policy; Carlos Castillo, Director General for Evaluation and Planning; and Manola Zabalza, Technical Coordinator in the Office of the Secretary.
The pharmaceutical and academic sectors are represented by Arturo Reyes from the National Polytechnic Institute; David Kershenobich from the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition; and Luis Herrera from the National Institute of Genomic Medicine.
Business executives include Adolfo Babatz, co-founder and CEO of CLIP; Marlene Garayzar, co-founder and CGO of Stori; Caterine Castillo, co-founder and CEO of Neivor; Everardo Barojas, co-founder and CEO of Prescrypto; Lorena Sánchez, General Partner of Billioneurons; Alejandro Sisniega, founder and CEO of Jüsto; Hernán Fernández, co-founder and managing partner of Angel Ventures, and Álvaro Gutiérrez, head of Institutional and Government Relations at Hydra Technologies.