Mexico Metropolis, Mexico – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday praised the feedback made by the anticipated subsequent U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which appear to favor cooperation with Mexico to deal with drug cartels reasonably than guarantees of army intervention.
On January 15, Rubio, who President-elect Donald Trump has nominated as his Secretary of State, discussed the incoming cupboard’s technique to fight drug cartels. Some in Trump’s internal circle had been selling U.S. army intervention in Mexico in the course of the 2024 marketing campaign, drawing considerations from the U.S.’s southern neighbor.
“From the Division of State’s perspective, my desire could be that we are able to work with the Mexicans on this situation cooperatively, as a result of it’s impacting their nation as a lot as ours,” mentioned Rubio.
Throughout her morning briefing on January 16, Sheinbaum, who has labored relentlessly to deescalate Trump’s typically polarizing speech, praised Rubio’s feedback.
“And that’s what we now have been saying, that to handle problems with migration, safety issues, and drug trafficking, the very best strategy is coordination on the highest stage. And that, whereas respecting our sovereignties, we are able to collaborate and coordinate to cut back legal exercise in Mexico, forestall the move of weapons from america to Mexico, and, on the identical time, contribute in each method vital to cut back the fentanyl disaster in america; and all the things associated to the safety of each nations,” she mentioned.
Border safety and drug trafficking have spearheaded Trump’s marketing campaign guarantees associated to Mexico. Alongside Republican hardliners, Trump has promised to crack down on legal teams fueling the narcotics epidemic plaguing the U.S., particularly fentanyl, the artificial opioid largely attributed to Mexican drug cartels as its main producer and distributor.
On this endeavor, Trump has promised to designate drug cartels in Mexico as terrorist organizations and even urged covert army operations to take down cartel leaders inside Mexican territory.
In Latin America, a number of armed groups stay on the U.S.’s International Terrorist Group listing, together with the Shining Path in Peru; in addition to Colombia’s Nationwide Liberation Military (ELN), Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – Individuals’s Military (FARC-EP), and Segunda Marquetalia.
For the Mexican President, Rubio’s seemingly deescalating tone is a reduction as Trump is about to return to the White Home on January 20.
“So, what does that imply? It’s excellent news within the sense that, as quickly as President Trump takes workplace along with his group, he’ll open up house for this high-level coordination, which is so vital,” she mentioned.
“So, we are going to go along with this a part of the collaboration, we take his phrase for it,” mentioned the president.
