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Mexico and the UK: Strengthening the Strategic Partnership

On the occasion of the first visit by Felipe Calderón, as President of the United Mexican States, to the UK on 29 January 2007, Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Felipe Calderón make the following joint declaration:

The UK and Mexico have enjoyed a long-standing friendship and our relationship has broadened and deepened over recent years. The close political ties between our countries are embodied in a series of UK-Mexico agreements, in particular the 1996 Joint Action Plan. We are determined to further develop and strengthen the bilateral relationship as a genuine strategic partnership. This declaration is a demonstration of this mutual will.

We recognise and welcome the emergence of Mexico as a key player in the global economy. We will continue to develop and deepen our co-operation on economic issues, including bilaterally through regular high level discussions. We will work together to meet the challenges posed by globalisation, including through ongoing dialogue on the reform of the international economic institutions, and on the establishment of mechanisms to meet the Millennium Development Goals, and to encourage responsible business practices.

Bilateral trade and investment between the UK and Mexico has increased substantially over recent years. Mexico is now one of the UK's top priority markets under the new UK Trade and Investment strategy. We welcome increasing investment links in both directions and the promising initial results from the UK's inward investment programme in Mexico. We acknowledge our positive experiences working together on Public Private Partnerships and trust these links will strengthen. We will continue to work together to encourage investment in both directions and will promote the opportunities available to UK and Mexican firms under the EU/Mexico Free Trade Agreement.

We welcome the launch of a Sustainable Development Dialogue between the UK and Mexico in October 2006. We agree that this should be wide-ranging and dynamic and that concrete action flowing from this, involving a wide range of civil society stakeholders as well as our two governments, should increasingly form a key element of the bilateral relationship.

We recognise the constructive and active role played by Mexico in the Dialogue between the G8 and emerging economies. Both developing and developed countries alike must work together if we are successfully to tackle the global challenges we all face. The dialogue between the G8 and emerging economies is one way to achieve this. We welcome the decision of the German G8 Presidency to continue the dialogue in 2007, express our recognition to them for their efforts to strengthen this mechanism this year, and look forward to working together in this and elsewhere to deliver real progress on the key challenges we all face.

We recognise that climate security is a global problem that demands a strong and urgent international response. We have worked closely together in this area, including through the Gleneagles Summit in 2005 and the Monterrey Climate Change Ministerial in 2006. Not least as two independent oil producing countries, we are determined to continue working together. The UK and Mexico are facing many similar energy challenges, such as the development of renewable sources, increasing efficiency and reducing carbon emissions through increasing efficiency, methane recovery and sustainable housing and transportation, among others. We will continue to share expertise and experience, particularly in the context of UNFCCC and in joint co-operation projects.

Mexico has decided to strengthen its carbon fund with additional human and financial resources to scale up its efforts to reduce carbon emissions of greenhouse gases in all those areas. This scheme is an example of how an emerging economy can play an active role in contributing to solve a global problem. The UK welcomes this initiative and will continue supporting Mexico's efforts in this area.

We agree that the support given by the UK, through its Global Opportunities Fund, to promote sustainable development, combat climate change and improve economic governance in Mexico should continue. With the support of this fund, the first State-level climate change action plan is about to be implemented in Mexico.

We agree to strengthen our collaboration on other global issues. We note the common commitment that we share to multilateral trade negotiations and agree to work together in international fora towards a freer and fairer global trading system. The UK and Mexico both want to secure an ambitious, pro-development outcome to the WTO trade round - the Doha Development Agenda (DDA). We believe we have only a matter of months to conclude the negotiations and that all main negotiators must show flexibility. We also welcome the Aid for Trade Taskforce report and commit to working with partners to turn the pledges into concrete and credible outcomes.

We agree to continue to work together to implement comprehensive UN reform and to advance progress on management reform and system wide coherence to strengthen the Organisation, including ECOSOC, the General Assembly and the Security Council. This includes working together in the new Human Rights Council, meeting the Millennium Development Goals and work on non-proliferation

We welcome Security Council Resolutions 1696 and 1737 and call upon Iran to take without further delay the steps required by the United Nations Security Council to suspend all enrichment-related, reprocessing and heavy water-related activities accordingly.

We agree that Latin America has made steady progress in recent years on economic stability, democratisation and poverty reduction. We will look for opportunities to work together in the region and note discussions underway on possible co-operation on disaster relief in the Caribbean and other possible areas of collaboration.

We recognise the importance to both sides of the relationship between the EU and Latin America, including Mexico. We welcome the 2006 EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit agreement that both regions will continue with their strong and shared commitment towards mutual co-operation and the multilateral system as the best ways to tackle global problems such as climate change, international terrorism, non-proliferation and energy efficiency. We note the importance both sides attach to trade, investment and economic co-operation as central elements of their strategic partnership, and their recognition of the benefits from and therefore support for the multilateral trading system. We will also work closely, and with other EU partners, to ensure that the EU/Mexico agreement continues to deliver benefits to both sides.

We also note the co-operation between the UK and Mexico under the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on health, which expires in November 2007.

We note the close relations between Mexico and the UK on educational and cultural issues within the framework of the XI Mixed Commission on Educational and Cultural Co-operation. We welcome the interest amongst Mexican students to study in the UK and agree to continue to support bilateral educational exchanges, notably through the UK's Chevening programme of fellowships and scholarships, as well as those offered by CONACYT and other Mexican public institutions. We also welcome two new projects, the first to support Mexican schools management and information communication technology and the second to improve the skills of state English Language teachers in Mexico.

We note that the success of the International Cervantino Festival in October 2006, with UK as guest of honour, has greatly increased the number of cultural contacts between Mexico and the UK. We will also continue to examine the scope for closer co-operation on research, science and innovation.

Tourism is important to both our countries. We are pleased to note the increasing numbers of tourists that travel between Mexico and the UK. We both attach high priority to continuing to develop our tourism industries.

We agree to review progress made on the application of this Declaration in the context of the High Level Talks that take place between Mexico and the UK every year.

Tony Blair Prime Minister, UK
Felipe Calderon President, Mexico