The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaumstated this Thursday that the Cooperation with Cuba, including the supply of fuel and the hiring of doctors, does not pose a risk to the relationship with the United States nor for the negotiation of the Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada (T-MEC).
When questioned about the accusations of the US congressman, Carlos Giménez, who described Shieinbaum’s actions in “oxygenating the dictatorship” on the island as “pathetic” and warned that these actions could affect the trade agreement, the Mexican president rejected any negative impact.
“No, it will not affect it (relationship). The United States knows that Mexico is an independent, free and sovereign country. And that the decisions we make are sovereign decisions and the relationship with the United States is very good, very good,” said the Mexican leader during her morning press conference.
The president confirmed that Mexico has been providing fuel to Cuba.
“Yes, it is the purchase of fuel, like other countries buy. Now there is a surplus of diesel particularly and it is being exported,” he explained.
Agreements between the governments of Cuba and Mexico
Likewise, he defended the existing agreements with the cuban governmentlike the presence of doctors in rural Mexican communities.
“For example, Cuban doctors who are in Mexico have a very transparent contract that is paid for the doctors’ stay here. Why is it done? Because of Mexico’s need,” he said, pointing out that for years specialists were stopped being trained in the country.
Sheinbaum insisted that Mexican foreign policy will continue to be based on humanitarian principles.
“First, humanitarian aid in any case, Mexico will always give it. Always. To Cuba and other countries that need it. That is our essence. Humanism. Always,” he stressed.
Sheinbaum will not attend the Summit of the Americas and criticizes the exclusion of Cuba
Mexico’s relations with the US
The president added that diplomatic and commercial relations with Washington are advancing without setbacks.
“Yesterday Juan Ramón de la Fuente (Secretary of Foreign Affairs) reported to me about his meeting with the Secretary of the State Department (Marco Rubio), it was a very friendly, very cordial meeting,” he stated.
He also noted that talks on security and trade will continue.
“The Secretary of the Economy is going this week and also next week to be able to close the number of proposals that the United States had about what they call the trade barriers that practically all of them have already been resolved,” he assured.
In July 2024, the Mexican Government, then headed by Andrés Manuel López Obrador, signed an agreement by which 2,700 Cuban doctors moved from the island to Mexican territory.
The Government justified the hiring because Mexico has 2.4 doctors per thousand inhabitants, higher than the average of 2 per thousand in Latin America, but lower than the average of 3.5 of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).
