North American leaders hail ties, fail to resolve tensions
The leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico have hailed their reinvigorated partnership after their first summit in five years, but tensions over trade and immigration remained largely unresolved.
US President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a joint statement after the summit that, “Together as North America we stand strong, and look to better build back our communities, our infrastructure, and our shared future as integrated partners.”
The Three Amigos meeting in Washington DC, was the first of it’s kind since 2016, after being discontinued when Donald Trump took over as president.
Biden, who took office in January, has sought to re-emphasise strong relations with Canada and Mexico as part of a wider effort to rebuild alliances and Washington’s support for international organisations.
The three countries are bound by the US-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) free trade agreement which governs some $1.5 trillion a year in North American trade.
After the meeting, Biden said the array of challenges discussed, which included trade, migration, climate change, and the coronavirus pandemic, can be addressed, “If we just take the time to speak with one another, by working together.”
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Kamila/Al-Jazeera
