The new chancellor’s hot phone number
Roberto Velasco did not waste time. As soon as he is installed in the SRE, he already has the phone glued to his ear. This week he had to talk with his colleagues from Panama and the United Arab Emirates.
With the Emirati minister, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, he spoke about deepening cooperation and commercial relations. It sounds good, although we would have to see the details. With Panama, the speech was more generic: “excellent bilateral relationship” and regional cooperation issues.
Washington’s long shadow
The interesting thing comes from what was already cooking. President Sheinbaum revealed that last Thursday Velasco had already spoken with Marco Rubio, the secretary of the US State Department.
“Roberto, evidently, is very aware of everything that has been done because he was undersecretary for North America,” Sheinbaum said.
There is the key. Migration, security, screwworm, water, trade… the agenda with the northern neighbor is what really defines Mexican foreign policy. The rest is complement.
The call with Rubio occurred before the communications with Panama and the Emirates. Clear priorities? It seems so.
More contacts in the list
The agenda doesn’t stop there. This week there were also exchanges with:
- Cuba (reaffirming “ties of solidarity”)
- Costa Rica (exploring economic collaboration)
- The OAS (speaking of regional dynamics)
Velasco seems determined to mark territory quickly. But in diplomacy, as in everything, actions outweigh words. We’ll see what comes out of so much dialogue.
