REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE WELCOMING CEREMONY, PALACIO NACIONAL, MEXICO 5 APRIL 1999
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE WELCOMING CEREMONY, PALACIO NACIONAL, MEXICO 5 APRIL 1999
President of the United Mexican States Mrs Zedillo Secretaria Green Representatives of the Government of the United Mexica States
On behalf of my husband, Martin, the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs and Mrs. Ahern and my delegation, thank you very much indeed for those warm words of welcome.
It is a great pleasure for me to be here on this historic occasion, as the first President of Ireland to visit Mexico and I would like to express our thanks and appreciation for this great and signal honour.
In spite of the geographic distance between us, and the many contrasts between our small island nation on the edge of Europe, and this vast and populous country linking the two great land masses of the American Continent, the relationship between our two countries has traditionally been friendly and warm.
That relationship is based on an instinctive empathy and understanding between our peoples, which comes to the fore whenever we come into contact. We have seen this throughout our history, from the story of the “Irish Soldiers of Mexico”, the San Patricio
Battalion, which first linked us together over 150 years ago, to the many links we share today.
Our countries have undergone many changes in the century and a half since the San Patricios fought and died here. Today, we are both independent, democratic nations, free to build allegiances and work with other countries in an increasingly interdependent world. We are fortunate today that the energy we were once forced to use in establishing our sovereign identities, can now be devoted to developing strong, stable and prosperous environments for all our citizens.
In honouring our past, we also acknowledge the need to build for the future. During these coming days I look forward to seeing at first hand the strong bonds that already exist between us, and to meeting the many Irish, Mexican-Irish and friends of Ireland we have heard so much about throughout the years. I look forward, in particular, to availing of many new opportunities for our continuing co-operation in the future.
Earlier I had the honour to witness the signature by Minister Ahern and Secretaria Green of important new agreements which will ensure greater cultural and education co- operation between us. These agreements are a strong symbol of the commitment we both have to enhancing our links of friendship and cop-operation in the future.
I also look forward to seeing stronger links develop in a wide range of other areas, especially the important sphere of our economic and trade relationship. Late last year, Ireland and Mexico signed a Double Taxation Agreement which will have a positive impact on trade and investment between our two countries by reducing tax barriers.
We greatly welcome other developments in our two-way trading links – in particular the fact that Mexican companies have followed their international competitors and invested in the International Financial Services Centre in Dublin, now a centre of international repute. This has been reciprocated in the decision of some of our most dynamic Irish corporations to invest in Mexico. I look forward to watching further progress and an enhanced trading relationship in the months and years ahead.
Today Mexico and Ireland take their places as sovereign nations in a rapidly changing environment, where allegiances and relations are built on a whole network of ties, reflecting the growing need for co-operation in the rapidly changing world in which we live.
Ireland is a committed member of the European Union, and I am happy to have an opportunity here to reconfirm Ireland’s full support for Mexico’s ever closer relationship with that Union. In June, Mexico will co-host the first ever Summit between Latin America and the European Union, a milestone in the growing links between these two important regional blocks.
Ireland and Mexico share a strong commitment to the United Nations and its subsidiary organisations and have over the years often been able to cooperate together in areas of common concern. We in Ireland hope therefore that our candidacy for non-permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council will commend itself to our friends in Mexico.
Based on the strong foundations that already exist between us, and the goodwill of the Mexican Government and people which you so graciously represent in your welcome to us today, I know that our work together in the future will prove very fruitful, and benefit not only our own citizens, but the wider global community of which we are a part. Thank you again for this warm welcome.