The Permanent Commission of Congress ratified this Thursday Roberto Lazzeri Montaño as the new ambassador of Mexico to the United States. The vote was 27 in favor and eight against, cast by the PAN and the PRI. He replaces Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, who held the position since February 2021.
Alejandro Murat, president of the First Commission, defended the appointment by pointing out that the bilateral relationship requires a profile with technical experience and the capacity for immediate dialogue. He highlighted that Lazzeri has more than two decades in public finance and international economic policy, with participation in the IMF, World Bank, G20, APEC and the T-MEC negotiations.
“Its strength lies in the fact that it does not learn the bilateral relationship, but rather conducts it from effective knowledge of the files,” said Murat.
The opposition questioned the profile. PAN deputy Homero Niño de Rivera affirmed that the replacement occurs at the worst moment in the relationship with the United States, marked by judicial investigations against Morena politicians and cancellation of visas. Rubén Moreira, PRI coordinator, rejected the appointment because Lazzeri does not belong to the Mexican Foreign Service and lacks diplomatic experience. He also criticized the budget cut to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the weakening of the consular network.
The coordinator of the PT, Reginaldo Sandoval, accused PAN and PRI of aligning with the American right and favoring interference against Mexico.
In addition, the plenary session ratified Alicia Guadalupe Buenrostro Massieu as ambassador to the Netherlands and representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and Pedro Blanco Pérez as ambassador to India. The three immediately protested.
