This year we mark 70 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and Mexico.
Throughout the years, there have been many collaborations in the political, economic and cultural spheres, reflecting the friendship and mutual appreciation amongst the two peoples. The Mexican Jewish community has always served as a bridge in the relations between the two countries.
In the year 2000, Israel and Mexico signed a free trade agreement that led to a dramatic increase in commercial exchanges. In 2013, Israel was the Guest of Honour at the Guadalajara International Book Fair, the most important publishing gathering in Ibero-America, in which President Shimon Peres inaugurated the Israeli pavilion. Following the devastating earthquakes in 1987 and 2017, the National Rescue Unit of the Israel Defense Forces sent humanitarian delegations to help with disaster relief. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Israeli embassy in Mexico has initiated a series of humanitarian intervention activities throughout the Mexican federation.
The strong relations between the two countries are also reflected in state visits by presidents and prime ministers, as well as reciprocal visits of senior officials in the fields of agriculture, health, economy and tourism.
In 1992, the Israeli Minister of Energy expressed his gratitude to Mexico for its reliable and long-standing supply of crude oil to Israel, including during the Arab boycott. Twenty-eight years later, President Lopez Obrador wrote to Prime Minister Netanyahu to inform him that in 2021 the State of Tabasco, wherefrom the first shipment of oil departed to Israel, would be the venue for Israel's display of solidarity with Mexico's celebration of 200 years of independence.
For the soccer fans among us, Mexico 1970 is associated with the only participation of the Israeli National Soccer Team in the World Cup...
Our ties with Mexico, though, started much earlier, when crypto-Jews arrived in 1519 as part of the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes' party. Subsequently, crypto- Jews continued to arrive from the Iberian Peninsula, joined later by Jewish immigrants from Europe and the US, from the Balkans and Syria. From immigrants who were welcomed with open arms, they became citizens, involved in politics, the economy, the media and the arts. Thanks to its supportive stance on Israel, the Jewish community serves as a sound bridge between the two countries and contributes to the strengthening of our bilateral relations.
In 2022, Mexico and Israel, two nations with deep historic and cultural roots, celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations. Despite the geographical distance, these relations have developed over the years through reciprocal high-ranking visits, the signing of cooperation agreements in the fields of culture, academia and research and the signing of the Free Trade Agreement that led to a significant increase in the economic relations between them.
This important milestone provides a good opportunity to look at the part of our common path that we have already paved and identify new prospects that lie ahead. I am immensely proud of all that we have accomplished together so far, and am convinced that through joint efforts we will upgrade our relations, thus bringing prosperity to both countries and wellbeing to both peoples.
