Mexico and Guatemala agreed on the 2027 Binational Plan, which will prioritize strengthening security in both nations.
In a joint statement, the head of Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE), Roberto Velasco Álvarez, explained that the strategy will establish the direction and priorities of the bilateral relationship for the coming year.
From Mexico City, the foreign minister detailed that the Plan is based on four pillars: shared security, border affairs, connectivity and human mobility with dignity, development with opportunities, and technical and scientific cooperation.
“Security occupies a central place. We have practically concluded negotiations on the new memorandum of understanding of the Mexico-Guatemala High-Level Security Group, which will strengthen the coordination and response capacity of both governments in addressing the challenges we share, and we have agreed to sign it in the coming months,” Velasco Álvarez said.
The two countries also agreed to move forward with infrastructure improvements at both border crossings, the joint cargo clearance program in Ciudad Hidalgo-Tecún Umán, and efforts to facilitate and make bilateral trade safer.
“We discussed the railway interconnection between Mexico and Guatemala through Line K of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Interoceanic Corridor, and agreed to continue working to define the route that will make this connection possible and bring our economies and communities even closer together,” he emphasized.
Regarding human mobility, the countries agreed to “maintain coordination to guarantee dignified, safe and orderly returns and strengthen the protection of people in transit.”
The Mexican foreign minister also reported that the second stage of Sembrando Vida in Guatemala will benefit 10,000 people in 15 departments.
“Likewise, we will continue expanding our technical, scientific and energy cooperation through six projects agreed upon by the Joint Commission, and we will promote hydroelectric projects on the Usumacinta River through the responsible institutions of both countries,” he said.
Without providing an exact date, the head of the SRE said that “the plenary meeting of the Mexico-Guatemala Binational Commission will take place soon.”
For his part, Guatemala’s foreign minister, Carlos Ramiro Martínez Alvarado, highlighted that “we worked on a common agenda that we gradually adapt to the political circumstances of the hemisphere and the global situation, but which essentially remains the same and is framed by friendship, collaboration, history and the future perspective that Mexico and Guatemala must continue working together.”
According to the Guatemalan foreign minister, it was “a very positive meeting, with agreements, schedules and commitments.”
Source: oem
