In Mexico, Biden and Lopez Obrador display a cordial relationship, but tensions remain
Joe Biden and his Mexican host Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador met on January 9, 2023 in Mexico City on the eve of a tripartite summit with Canada.
REUTERS - HENRY ROMERO
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
On Monday, the Mexican and American presidents met to discuss their two main priorities: the fight against drug trafficking and the migration crisis.
Last year, 2.4 million people were apprehended by US Border Patrol, reflecting a dramatic increase in migrants crossing illegally into the United States from Mexico.
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With our correspondent in Mexico,
Emmanuelle Steels
After a warm embrace at the gates of the National Palace in Mexico City, Presidents López Obrador and Joe Biden sat face to face on Monday afternoon.
And they quickly got to the heart of the matter.
The Mexican criticized Biden for his lack of interest and he even uttered the word "
contempt
" towards Latin America.
López Obrador alludes to the political exclusion advocated by the United States of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela during the last Summit of the Americas.
The American president replied that he was there to address the migration crisis and the joint fight against the trafficking of fentanyl, a drug responsible for the death of 100,000 Americans, he recalled.
In both of these areas, the last few days have been marked by positive gestures ahead of the meeting:
Mexico has captured Ovidio Guzmán
, considered by Washington to be one of the main perpetrators of fentanyl trafficking, and the United States has announced the granting of visas to allow thousands of migrants to enter legally, which López Obrador demanded.
Joe Biden is making his first visit to Mexico as President of the United States.
He will attend the summit of North American leaders on Tuesday with his Mexican counterpart and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
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Mexico
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador
Joe Biden