President Higgins meeting with the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto in Rome
Date: Fri 1st Mar, 2013 | 15:03
President Michael D. Higgins met the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto in Rome this morning. President Higgins was accompanied by the Minister for Finance, Mr Michael Noonan TD, while President Peña was accompanied by the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Mr Jose Antonio Meade Kuribreña.
At the outset, President Higgins congratulated President Peña on his recent election and on the success of his first 100 days in office. President Peña invited President Higgins to visit Mexico and the invitation was warmly accepted.
Referring to the historic and cultural ties between Ireland and Mexico, both Presidents expressed their strong interest in deepening the bilateral relations between the two countries, in the cultural and educational areas, and especially in the area of trade and economic development. They noted that Mexico was Ireland’s largest market in Latin America, valued at almost 1 billion euro per annum and that a number of Irish companies have a substantial presence in Mexico.
There was reference to a most important, warm relationship between more than one hundred million Mexican people and Irish people; with a recognition of many shared problems, national and international, including emigration and migrant rights.
In addition to advancing bilateral relations, both Presidents exchanged perspectives on the significance of the recent election of Pope Francis and his important message of hope and solidarity. They also discussed wider global issues such as the importance of promoting human rights and effectively addressing the reduction of poverty and hunger, while also achieving sustained growth.
Speaking after the meeting, President Higgins said:
“I have a long-standing interest in Mexico dating back to my first visit there as a postgraduate student in 1967. Later I went on to read not only of the Batallón de San Patricio (St. Patrick’s Battalion) but to learn of the refuge given by Mexico to so many exiles. I was therefore delighted to have such a substantive meeting with President Peña during which we addressed a broad range of issues. There is a mutual interest, on both of our parts, in further deepening the very warm relations between our two countries and I look forward to the opportunity to meet again during our respective terms in office ”
