Mexican Foreign Minister Outlines Ambitious Agenda for North American Leaders’ Summit
As President Enrique Peña Nieto prepares to host U.S. President Barack Obama and Canadian Stephen Harper at the North American Leaders’ Summit. Mexican Foreign Minister José Antonio Meade outlined an ambitious agenda aimed at fostering regional cooperation in trade, education and energy.
Meade stressed the importance of trilateral trade 20 years after the passage of NAFTA. “Twenty years after the entry into force of the North American Free Trade Agreement, our region produces nearly 30% of the gross global product,” Meade wrote. “We are a market of over 450 million people. We have an efficient and increasingly prepared human capital. Our advantages on logistics and communications generate economies of scale. We operate under a new paradigm in energy that was unimaginable a few years ago.”
Meade also stressed the importance of education reform to promote regional economic competitiveness. “In preparation for this summit, we have looked to foster greater education mobility and academic exchanges within the region,” Meade wrote. “Progress in this area strengthens our human capital and contributes to our mutual understanding. This regional priority is fully in line with Mexico’s “Proyecta 100,000" and the United States’ “100,000 Strong in the Americas” initiatives, as well as with Canada’s International Education Strategy.”
Proyecta 100,000 is an ambitious Mexican initiative to increase student cultural exchanges between the United States and Mexico, with the goal of 100,000 Mexican students studying abroad in the United States by 2018.
In conclusion, Meade looked forward to the North American Leaders’ Summit with optimism. “The goals of North America are ambitious. They correspond to our regional potential. The 2014 North America Leaders’ Summit is an occasion to celebrate our similarities and strengths. More importantly, it is time to look forward with great optimism and continue building the most competitive and dynamic region.”
