López Obrador reminds Biden of the territory taken from Mexico in the 19th century

Mexico and the United States celebrated this Monday the 200th anniversary of the beginning of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador received Chris Dodd, special advisor to Joe Biden, at the National Palace, and the two presidents published commemorative letters.

Two brief texts in a courteous tone and declarations of good intentions, but where a historical message also slipped in.

López Obrador reminded his counterpart of "the military interventions of the United States" and "the loss of half of our territory."

The traumatic event for Mexican memory happened in the middle of the 19th century, when the negotiations to end the war between the two countries included the sale of almost half of their territory at that time, corresponding to the current States of California, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.

That 1848 treaty also delimited the current border between the two countries on the Rio Grande.

Before making a brief statement, the Mexican president reviewed other episodes of "understanding, cooperation and friendship" between the two countries, such as Abraham Lincoln's support during the French intervention or the "good neighbor" policy or respect for Mexican sovereignty displayed by Franklin Roosevelt with President Lázaro Cárdenas.

Back to the present, López Obrador stressed the harmony with the current Democratic Administration in the face of the tension experienced during the Donald Trump period.

“Now our relations are unbeatable.

In addition, your attitude of respect towards the sovereignty of Mexico has been exceptional: you are the first president of the United States, in several decades, who has not ordered the construction of even a meter of wall between our borders," said the Mexican president.

Biden's letter highlights the deepening of bilateral relations through, for example, summits such as the so-called high-level economic dialogue (DEAN), an appointment includes the presence of various secretaries (ministers) in addition to the respective foreign ministries and the vice presidency of the United States, and that she had been banished during the Trump era.

Biden also valued the North American meeting, or as it is popularly known, the

summit .

USA, Canada and Mexico will actually meet again at the beginning of next year with the hosted Mexican delegation.

In addition to the traditional issues on the common agenda - migration, security, trade - López Obrador took advantage of this Monday's diplomatic letter to advance some of the proposals for the meeting.

From the substitution of imports "to produce in North America, and throughout the continent what we consume";

to a program "for the well-being of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean."

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EL PAÍS México