Biden meets with Trudeau, Lopez Obrador at North American Leaders' Summit

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY (AA) – US President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador met Tuesday in Mexico City at the 10th North American Leaders' Summit, where joint economic development and migration were focal points.

In their opening statements to the press at the meeting, which is also known as the “Three Amigos” summit, they were quick to praise the trilateral partnership.

"As a continent, we are unique. We are three large democracies committed to freedom, human rights, equality and creating real opportunities for everyone. We have deep ties as friends and trading partners," said Trudeau.

He recalled the uncertainty that prevailed when then US President Donald Trump dismissed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), putting the trilateral partnership at risk.

"Thankfully, the belief in free and fair trade won the day. We renegotiated, and we got an even better deal. To put it simply, we are and will be stronger together," said Trudeau.

For his part, President Biden vowed that the partnership would invest in supply chains and critical minerals such as lithium to secure the building of the "technologies of the future in North America."

“At the top of our agenda today is keeping North America the most competitive and prosperous economic region in the world, and the strength of our economic relationship between our countries not only supports high-paying jobs in our country but also generates tremendous growth,” he said.

Staying on the issue of lithium, Trudeau assured that Canada would not only mine the coveted mineral but also work to exploit and transform it into lithium batteries.

In addition, Lopez Obrador announced that the three nations agreed to create a special committee comprising 12 experts from the three countries for the substitution of imports to North America from Asia.​​​​​​​

According to Lopez Obrador, each country will propose four candidates for the committee.

While Trudeau and Biden did not share their possible candidates, Lopez Obrador revealed that Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Finance Minister Rogelio Ramirez de la O, Economy Minister Raquel Buenrostro and businessman Alfonso Romo would make up the Mexican committee.

"They will have our absolute confidence to motivate, persuade and convince businessmen, workers and public servants of the three governments of the importance of uniting in North America and looking forward to unity throughout the continent," he said.

Regarding immigration, Biden stressed that migration in the Western Hemisphere had reached unprecedented levels and thanked Lopez Obrador for welcoming migrants barred from the US.

The leaders of Mexico and the US also insisted on the need for programs that allow orderly and regular entry into the US, such as the program recently announced by the Biden administration which allows up to 30,000 migrants from Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela and Haiti, a policy praised by Lopez Obrador.

In addition, the Mexican leader urged Biden to convey a request from him to the US Congress to regularize the migration situation of millions of Mexicans living and working in the US for years.

Lopez Obrador also thanked Trudeau for welcoming over 25,000 Mexican workers by issuing temporary work visas and thanked Biden for refraining from continuing to build the wall along the Mexico-US border.

"You, President Biden, you are the first president of the United States in a very long time that has not built not even one meter of wall, and we thank you for that, sir," said Lopez Obrador.