Mexico’s leader speaks with U.S. president-elect by phone
Posted December 19, 2020 8:50 pm.
Last Updated December 19, 2020 8:54 pm.
MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he spoke with U.S. President-elect Joe Biden by phone Saturday, five days after he sent a tardy and somewhat chilly letter of congratulations to Biden.
“We reaffirmed our commitment to work together for the good of our peoples and our countries,” López Obrador wrote in his social media accounts.
López Obrador and Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, finally congratulated Biden only after the Electoral College vote confirmed his victory.
The two were the last major Latin American leaders to send congratulations. Both López Obrador and Bolsonaro were seen as friendly to President Donald Trump.
The Mexican president has stressed that maintaining good relations with the United States — Mexico’s northern neighbour and by far its top trading partner — is one of his top priorities.
López Obrador said he intentionally waited until the Electoral College vote before writing to Biden. The brief letter contained an implicit warning against getting involved in Mexico’s internal affairs.
The Associated Press
