Meeting with German Chancellor, Pena Nieto Calls for Defense of Democracy ’at a Crucial Time’ Kate Linthicum - The Los Angeles Times
go to original June 10, 2017

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto toast after a joint news conference in Mexico City. (Eduardo Verdugo/Associated Press)

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto called for the defense of free trade, democracy and environmental protections during an appearance Friday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Though neither Peña Nieto nor Merkel mentioned President Trump by name during their joint news conference in Mexico City, his pugnacious relationship with both countries was the backdrop for much of what they had to say.

Peña Nieto said Merkel’s two-day state visit comes “at a crucial time for the world.”

“It is extremely important to defend the values we share,” he said.



Those values include free trade, a principle at the core of Mexico’s relationship with the United States, and one Trump has threatened in an attempt to erase a trade gap of roughly $60 billion in Mexico’s favor.

They also include combating climate change, Peña Nieto said. After Trump this month announced he will be withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, Mexico and Germany both announced they would stay in the accord and press forward.

In her remarks, Merkel emphasized the importance of nations having relationships with a wide range of countries instead of relying on alliances with just a few.

In recent weeks, as Trump has attacked Germany for its trade surplus with the U.S. and for not spending enough on defense to meet its commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Merkel has said that Europe “can no longer rely” on its longtime ally, the United States. Europeans, she said at a recent campaign rally in Munich, must “take our fate into our own hands.”

Read the rest at The Los Angeles Times

Related: Germany’s Merkel Vows to Help Mexico Protect Journalists (Sputnik News)

Related: Mexico to Merkel: We Want 'Significant Increase' in Trade (Agence France-Presse)

Related: Germany's Merkel Lends Support to Mexico Over NAFTA (GDN Online)

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