Mexico calls on Trump to improve bilateral ties

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto congratulated US President-elect Donald Trump and stated he is ready to work to improve bilateral relations.

Posting on Twitter on Wednesday, Pena Nieto wrote that Mexico and the US are friends, partners and allies, which must continue working to increase the competitiveness and development of North America, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I trust Mexico and the US will continue tightening their bonds of cooperation and mutual respect," he said.

Trump defeated his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton on Tuesday. He based much of his campaign on pulling the US out of NAFTA, the free-trade agreement signed with Canada and Mexico in 1994, as well as building a wall along the Mexican border.

In August, Trump was invited by Pena Nieto to meet in Mexico City, at which time the Mexican president explained that his people had felt insulted by Trump's comments.

Mexican Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu made it clear that Mexico would absolutely not pay for the wall.

"The Mexican government has been clear and emphatic that paying for a wall is outside our intent," said Ruiz Massieu, adding that the two countries must instead work together.

Ruiz Massieu added that the Mexican government would seek spaces for dialogue and understanding with the Trump administration to find ways to defend the interests of the 35.5 million Mexican-Americans in the US.

--IANS

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