Amb. Modiano, 'Tajani in Latin America an excellent signal'

(ANSA) - CITTÀ DEL MESSICO, 17 OTT - The recent initiative by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to bring together the subcontinent's heads of mission is "a very important political signal and shows our government's desire to define a new strategy for Latin America". This is the assessment of the Italian ambassador to Mexico, Alessandro Modiano, gathered by ANSA, on the meeting that took place in Buenos Aires, with the participation of the region's ambassadors, the heads of ICE, the Italian Cultural Institutes and other representatives of Sistema Italia.
    "Mexico has been identified as one of the priority countries in the area," the diplomat emphasised, "and, also to strengthen relations with the new government of President Sheinbaum, consideration is being given to organising important institutional and business visits in the coming months." An initiative that, he explained, aims to consolidate bilateral relations on a political level, to promote the activities and interests of Italian companies in the country, and to strengthen exchanges in other important sectors, including scientific cooperation, sport and space.
    Following the inauguration of the new Mexican government on 1 October, the team of the Italian Embassy in Mexico is establishing the first contacts with Foreign Ministry officials, led by Juan Ramon de la Fuente. "He is a personality with a high political and academic profile," says Modiano, emphasising the positive reception "of the confirmation of María Teresa Mercado as undersecretary for Foreign Affairs responsible for Europe, with whom we have a working relationship and deep esteem. She is a great friend of Italy'.
    The transition context is inevitably influenced by the approach of one of the most hard-fought US presidential elections and the unknowns that the future holds are an obligatory topic of conversation. Ambassador Modiano, however, does not foresee major changes: 'President Sheinbaum has declared that her government is in continuity with the work of her predecessor Andres Manuel López Obrador,' he notes, 'and that she will maintain a strong focus on social policies and economic growth.
    'Even in the event of former President Trump's victory in November,' he continues, 'we do not envisage major changes from the past. He was the one who negotiated the North American trade agreement with Lopez Obrador, and he is fully aware of the ever-increasing economic interdependence between the US and Mexico, so, in general, I do not expect any structural changes in the US-Mexico relationship in the coming years, regardless of who wins the US elections, precisely because of the very close ties between the two countries' economies'.
    In this framework, analysing Mexico's growth prospects and its trade relations with Italy, the path to the future starts from a fast-growing bilateral interchange, more than 7 billion euros in 2023, 6 billion of which Italian exports, which "make Mexico the first destination country for our sales in Latin America".
    "Italy," he explains, "is a country with a vocation historically more oriented to international trade than to foreign investments, but I believe that this paradigm with Mexico is changing, and can do so further.
    'Some of the most important Italian industrial groups, as well as numerous innovative SMEs,' he adds, 'have already invested in the country and intend to further strengthen their presence. Mexico has great potential, also as a gateway to the US market, and we could see a further intensification of our companies' activities,' Modiano concludes, 'especially in the light of the reconfiguration of global supply chains, the so-called 'nearshoring''.