Canada, US, Mexico to renegotiate new NAFTA deal, bring it to conclusion

US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan underscored the importance of concluding a new NAFTA trade deal in talks on Sunday with Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray on the sidelines of the G-20 foreign ministers meeting in Buenos Aires.

Sullivan and Videgaray discussed “continued cooperation on managing a shared border and the importance of working together to disrupt transnational criminal organizations,” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement.

“The Deputy also emphasized the importance of concluding a NAFTA deal,” said Nauert.

Canada, the United States and Mexico are renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Talks to reach a deal on reworking the 24-year-old accord have intensified in recent weeks, pressed by US congressional deadlines and a common will to reach an agreement before Mexico’s July 1 presidential election.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday that President Donald Trump is focused on getting a good NAFTA deal, whether it is passed by the current or future US Congress. He said Trump is not focused on specific deadlines.