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PM Netanyahu: Israeli-Mexican cooperation, “a promise of hope and prosperity to many peoples.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on an official state visit in Mexico as part of a regional tour, met with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto at his presidential palace in Mexico City, during which the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and their joint aspiration of elevating cooperation in various sectors of economy. In a special televised ceremony, the two leaders signed a series of bilateral agreements, after which President Pena Nieto declared that his country had accepted Israel’s offer to help in a joint effort by Mexico and the United States to develop central America, while adding that Mexico City and Jerusalem had also agreed to update their free trade agreement, which was signed in the year 2000. President Pena Nieto said, “The first thing I want to share is that through high-level political dialogue there has been space to work on different fronts that we have agreed on. The first is to update the free trade agreement between Mexico and Israel. It is an agreement that was signed in 2000 and which today we have modernized and updates,” he said.

Prime Minister Netanyahu declared, during their joint press conference, that the future belongs to those who innovate, while stressing that the growing cooperation between Mexico and Israel would provide “a promise of hope and prosperity to many peoples.” Netanyahu said, “Israel is known as the innovation nation. We believe that through our partnership we can bring the fruits of this innovation to the people of Mexico and to many others, to cooperate in fact as you said in Central America as we agreed. I think this gives a promise of hope and prosperity to many, many peoples. And there are already 150 Israeli companies investing and working in Mexico. We would like to see Mexican companies come in and investing Israel,” he declared.

Netanyahu’s trip to Mexico marked the first visit to the Central American country by an acting Israeli Prime Minister. Even though relations between the two nations were strained earlier this year by a tweet, in which Netanyahu appeared to praise US President Donald Trump’s plans to build a wall on the Mexican border, both leaders voiced their strong appreciation of each other and said they would hold additional meetings “next year in Jerusalem.”