Mexican President vows to defend nation’s sovereignty, dignity, independence

Mexico City, Sep 2 (IANS) Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum vowed to defend the country’s sovereignty, dignity and independence.

“In Mexico, we want cooperation, dialogue and understanding with all nations, but cooperation does not mean submission, friendship does not mean renouncing our principles,” Sheinbaum said during her second State of the Union Address held at the National Palace on Tuesday (local time).

“And as long as I have the honour of serving as President of the Republic, I will steadfastly defend our sovereignty, our dignity, and our independence,” she said.

Sheinbaum acknowledged “difficulties” in Mexico-US relations, particularly those arising from the US mistreatment of migrants.

She noted 17 Mexican nationals have died at US immigration detention centres and many others have been arrested in immigration raids across the United States, adding that Mexico’s government has filed complaints and demanded respect for migrants’ rights, reports Xinhua news agency.

In response to Washington’s mass deportations, according to Sheinbaum, her government has launched “Mexico te abraza” (“Mexico Embraces You”), a program that has helped more than 281,000 deported or repatriated Mexican nationals, offering them hot meals, transportation to their communities, medical and psychological care, and identification documents.

Regarding trade with the United States, the president said both sides are in talks and expected to reach agreements.

“On trade matters, we are engaged in an ongoing dialogue with the US government, and we hope to reach an understanding,” she said.

On matters of security, she said, Mexico has reached agreements with the United States based on the principles of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity; shared and differentiated responsibility; mutual respect and trust; and cooperation without subordination.

–IANS

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