López Obrador defends his position of not congratulating Biden 2:34
(CNN Spanish) -
There is no going back.
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, indicated this Wednesday in his morning conference that until the electoral process in the United States is concluded, he will not comment on the matter.
"We cannot make any kind of recognition to a government that is not yet legally and legitimately constituted," he said.
He also noted that he believes that this position has already been understood by the team of President-elect Joe Biden.
"Those who have not understood it and are generating a lot of noise," said the president, "are our adversaries here and some improvised diplomats, without principles, who do not understand what foreign policy is or should be attached to Article 89, fraction tenth. of our Constitution ”.
López Obrador added that any type of pronouncement would meddle in internal affairs.
"And we are not against or in favor of anyone," he said.
The president assured that his government's position would not generate any retaliation.
“There does not have to be retaliation because we are adhering to our policy of principles, of legality.
Furthermore, we are not a colony, we are an independent country ”, he stated.
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Despite this, it seems that the Mexican Foreign Ministry has begun to move some pieces.
On Tuesday, through her Twitter account, the Mexican ambassador to the United States, Martha Bárcena, indicated that on the instructions of López Obrador and the Secretary of Foreign Relations, Marcelo Ebrard, she had offered an explanation to her US interlocutors about the decision. not to congratulate Biden.
The diplomat, in addition to reiterating what López Obrador mentioned, expressed the Mexican government's respect for United States policy, including the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as the virtual - as he described it - president-elect Joe Biden and President Donald Trump.
Future prospects for the relationship between Mexico and the United States.
For some observers, the decision of the Mexican president is cautious.
They point out that this avoids any type of retaliation or surprise decisions, taking into account that the presidential term of Donald Trump will end on January 20, 2021.
For others, however, it could put some obstacles in the future bilateral relationship.
LEE: Opposition senators criticize the position of President López Obrador before the triumph of Joe Biden
Mexico and the United States not only share a border of more than 3,000 kilometers, but also a bulky bilateral agenda.
This includes the T-MEC trade agreement, launched on July 1 of this year and in which Canada also participates.
Other topics on the agenda are the fight against drug trafficking and the control of migratory flows.
There is also the illegal sale of weapons from the United States, whose main buyers are organized crime groups, among other issues.
Amy L. Glover, a Mexican-American political scientist, believes that the costs of this decision will be lower, since the Democrats are very pragmatic.
"The relationship is with a nation," he told CNN, "not with a specific government."
Andrés Manuel López ObradorJoe Biden