Press Release
☷Secretary Antony J Blinken Mexican Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena and Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Mart nez before the U S Mexico Guatemala Trilateral Migration Ministerial Meeting United States Department of State
U.S. Department of State ( By Press Release office)
Mar 01,2024
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Hey everyone , good morning! So glad to have Alicia , Carlos Ramiro , and all our colleagues here today . We ' re really excited to be hosting our partners from Mexico and Guatemala . The collaboration between our governments has never been stronger , and we ' re facing challenges together . We really admire the work of the new administrations in both countries and are committed to working together on migration issues . It ' s important to address root causes and create opportunities for people to thrive in their own countries . Vice President Harris ' efforts on private - sector investment in the region are already showing positive results . FOREIGN SECRETARY BÁRCENA: Thank you so much and good morning , everyone . Secretary Antony Blinken , Alejandro Mayorkas , Liz Sherwood - Randall , Richard Verma , Isobel Coleman , Lisa Monaco , Ken , Carlos Ramiro , Antonio Escobedo , Francisco Villagran , Vivian Arenas – good morning . It ' s great to have you all here this morning . I want to send warm greetings from President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and express our gratitude to Secretary Blinken for welcoming us once again in Washington . We have a strong Mexican delegation here , including our ambassador Esteban Moctezuma , Martín Borrego , Christina Planter , and Ana Luisa Fajer . I believe this trilateral meeting between the U . S . , Guatemala , and Mexico is a unique opportunity . It ' s a pleasure to work with Carlos Ramiro and Antony Blinken on these efforts . Mexico shares a long border with Guatemala and the U . S . , and our history is deeply connected . The idea of brotherhood without borders is what brings us together today . Guatemala and Mexico have shared cultural roots for centuries , and our common dream has seen the rise of a great civilization , the Maya culture . We ' re also looking at other important things that we can and should be doing together , like making it easier for people to migrate legally , providing more protection for migrants , and supporting asylum processes and other ways for people to stay in their own countries . So , all of our countries are working together on these issues , not just Mexico , Guatemala , and the United States , but all the countries in our region . That ' s what the Los Angeles Declaration was all about , and it was a commitment by countries of origin , transit , and destination to work together because no one country can handle this challenge alone . I ' m really looking forward to hearing about the progress we ' ve made from our colleagues today . We ' ve had a lot of collaboration with Mexico , including recent high - level meetings and frequent engagement with our officials . I ' m also excited to discuss how we can move forward with the Los Angeles Declaration and the work we ' ll be doing there . So , welcome everyone , and Alicia , over to you . So last August , we were excited to attend the ceremony where Guatemala elected Bernardo Arévalo as its leader for this year . We reached out to the Guatemalan government to make sure everything went smoothly . Now , President Bernardo Arévalo and Vice President Karin Herrera have a bright future ahead . Mexico supports them fully and wants to strengthen our relationship with Guatemala and the U . S . in dealing with migration . We know the challenges migrants face and believe in finding solutions together . We ' re proud to work with the U . S . and are optimistic about creating a unique migration model that could be a model for other regions . Our goal is to make migration a choice , not a necessity , by addressing the root causes and creating more opportunities for labor mobility . Let ' s work together to help those seeking better opportunities and transform human mobility for the better . And you know , Guatemala , historically , has always been searching for peace and well - being for its people . Same goes for Mexico and the United States . We ' ve had some pretty remarkable people in Guatemala , like Juan José Arévalo , Miguel Ángel [Asturias] , Jacobo Árbenz , and Rigoberta Menchú , who still has a lot of wisdom to offer even today . In the words of Rigoberta Menchú , peace isn ' t just the absence of war . As long as there ' s poverty , racism , discrimination , and exclusion , achieving peace in the world won ' t be easy . So , thanks a lot . We ' re all set for a productive meeting with some concrete outcomes . As Secretary Bárcena mentioned , Mexico and Guatemala have a shared history and border , which means we also face common challenges . We ' re doing our best to manage those challenges with the support of the United States , especially when it comes to safe , orderly , and humane migration , like Secretary Blinken said . We see migration as a phenomenon , not just a problem . And we believe it ' s our responsibility as the Guatemalan government to meet the needs of our people . FOREIGN MINISTER MARTÍNEZ: ( Via interpreter ) Hey there! Good morning . I wanna give a big thanks to our hosts and the U . S . delegation led by Secretaries Blinken and Mayorkas . And of course , shout out to Mexico , Alicia Bárcena , foreign minister , and the Mexican officials in the delegation . First of all , I wanna thank the U . S . and Mexico for the support you ' ve shown my country . And when I say my country , I mean Guatemala , not just the current administration . You guys really had our backs during those tough months when we were fighting for democracy and respect for our votes so President Arévalo could take office on that long , long day of January 14th . We couldn ' t have done it without you and the international community . If it weren ' t for your help , I wouldn ' t be sitting here today , chatting with you in this room . The Arévalo administration is fully committed to working with the U . S . and Mexico on all kinds of issues , especially irregular migration . But there ' s more to our agenda . We ' ve got cooperation , investment , and dialogue to bring us closer together . That ' s the main goal of the current administration . We need to make sure our people have opportunities so they don ' t feel the need to migrate . This is a task for the Guatemalan government , but we also need to work with other countries and organizations to create more opportunities for development . We have a lot of work to do to address the root causes of migration , and it ' s going to take time to build a better future for Guatemala . We should consider expanding legal pathways for temporary work and labor mobility to address the issue . Collaboration between countries is key , and everyone , including the private sector , needs to be involved in finding solutions . Guatemala is committed to working with the United States and Mexico to address migration issues . Thank you .
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