(Mexico) The President of Mexico on Monday justified a space cooperation agreement with Russia and also criticized a “historic meeting” on security announced by the United States with one of the 32 most affected Mexican states by narco-violence.
Posted at 3:53 p.m.
Mexico and Russia signed in September 2021 an “agreement on cooperation, exploration and use of space […] for peaceful purposes”.
This agreement was again talked about last week when the Russian embassy in Mexico City claimed that it allowed the deployment of Russian satellites in Mexico, which shares more than 3,000 km of border with the United States.
“The agreement provides, among other things, for the possible installation of Glonass stations (Editor’s note: Russian Global Navigation Satellite System) on Mexican territory. However, this can only be done if both parties sign a supplementary agreement,” the Russian embassy wrote on its Facebook page.
“The Glonass satellite system will not be installed in Mexico,” Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard denied on Twitter on Saturday.
The agreement was signed “before the war between Russia and Ukraine”, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday, denying that the agreement would be used to “spy on Mexican and North American airspace “.
“These agreements are signed with all countries and they are not intended to spy on anyone,” he said during his daily press conference.
The left-wing president reiterated that Mexico is sticking to a “policy of neutrality” in the conflict caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, wishing “a peaceful solution”.
He also deemed illegal the security collaboration announced last week by the United States ambassador to Mexico with the state of Zacatecas (north).
Ambassador Ken Salazar had mentioned a “historic meeting” between the authorities of Zacatecas and American agencies including the FBI and the DEA (anti-drugs), “all with respect for the sovereignty of Mexico and Zacatecas”.
The ambassador had announced actions with the security and justice sector in Zacatecas, a strategic lock on the drug route to the United States.
“The Constitution expressly prohibits the governments of the 32 states from entering into agreements with foreign governments,” said the Mexican president.
Is this deal illegal? “Yes,” replied Mr. Lopez Obrador, ensuring that he did not want a “scandal” with the United States, the outlet for around 80% of Mexican exports. “We must act with discernment, and not quarrel, seek good relations”.