Press Releases 2011
United States Ambassador Presents Credentials to President Calderon and Renews U.S. Commitment to Working with Mexico
Ambassador Wayne and President Calderon (Official Presidencia Photo)
Meeting at Los Pinos (Official Presidencia Photo)
Mexico City, September 13, 2011 - The Honorable Earl Anthony Wayne presented today to President Felipe Calderon Hinojosa his credentials as Ambassador of the United States of America to the United Mexican States. Ambassador Wayne arrived in Mexico on Saturday, September 10, and prior to going to Los Pinos called on External Relations Secretary Patricia Espinosa to present a copy of his credentials.
Deputy Chief of Mission John D. Feeley accompanied Ambassador Wayne to Los Pinos for the presentation of credentials. Following today’s ceremony at Los Pinos, Ambassador Wayne made the following statement:
“Muy buenas tardes. I am very pleased to be here and I look forward to working with my team, here at the Embassy and our nine consulates throughout Mexico to strengthen relations between our two great countries. I hope to visit all nine consulates and 31 Mexican states as soon as possible. I very much relish the opportunity to explore Mexico and see its fabled cultural patrimony and natural beauty. And to sample Mexico’s cuisine!
“I am deeply honored and gratified to have met today with President Calderón. I look forward to working intensely with members of his government on the full range of issues that define our bilateral relationship and that are so profoundly important to people in both our countries. Those issues range from protecting public health to ensuring a healthy and sustainable natural environment. Our shared interests include expediting the movement of commerce, neighbors and tourists across our border to make both our countries more competitive in a global economy; while we work together to deny border crossings, in both directions, of illegal weapons and explosives, narcotics, illegally gotten money, trafficked persons, and all other contraband that trans-nationally organized criminals use to harm both our societies. To that end, our collaborative efforts to provide security for citizens and communities on both sides of the border through the Mérida Initiative remains a central focus of our shared agenda.
“But this is about much more than security. The United States’ relationship with Mexico is unique. Our two economies and societies are indispensably interconnected, giving us a shared responsibility for the challenges both nations face. Over the last two decades the United States and Mexico have forged an economic partnership that benefits consumers, workers, farmers, and businessmen from both countries. More than a billion dollars of trade crosses the U.S.-Mexico border each day, providing jobs and resources to people across both countries. And, the human relationship is of enormous importance. For, just as we are linked by shared interests, our two countries are also linked by shared values. Almost one million people legally cross the U.S.-Mexico border each day in the course of their routines. Millions of citizens from both countries share a heritage which binds our two great nations together. I hope during my tenure as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico that we can deepen our people-to-people relationships further, to our mutual benefit.
“Despite the very real challenges, our bilateral ties have never been stronger. Not only do we share a border, but we share a future. And our greatest challenge, our greatest shared responsibility, is to make that future brighter, for the people of Mexico and for the people of the United States, and to make our bilateral relationship an example to the world of cooperation between neighbors.
“As Ambassador, I will dedicate myself to ensure this partnership prospers in order to achieve the mutual benefits possible for the peoples of the United States and of Mexico.
“My wife stayed behind in the United States for the birth of our first grandchild, but she looks forward to joining me in a few weeks. “When he welcomed President Calderon to the White House in May 2010, President Obama observed that ‘the United States and Mexico are not simply neighbors, bound by geography and history. We are by choice friends and partners. We are bound by our business partners, workers and tourists who fuel our prosperity; by our students and educators who broaden our horizons; and by our men and women in uniform, who serve and sacrifice to keep us safe.’
“Both the United States and Mexico are relatively young nations that were born in wars of independence and rededicated by their revolutions. Similar historical experiences give us many shared national values, including a devotion to our nations, moved by the faith that we can build a better future that will, in the words of Octavio Paz, allow our children to ‘realize their dream.’
“I hope to have the opportunity to meet many of you and maintain an open and fluid dialogue with the media. I greatly value the journalist’s commitment to monitor state actions and policies and to keep the citizenry well-informed. You play a key role in any democracy.
“I am particularly delighted to have arrived in time to join Mexicans in recreating the Grito de Dolores and celebrating the 201st anniversary of your independence this September 16th. Viva Mexico! Viva la amistad entre nuestros pueblos!”