Mexico is a major Canadian partner on issues related to trade, investment, labour, tourism, emergency preparedness and disaster response, cultural and academic endeavours, and international diplomacy. Canada and Mexico share a common interest in addressing issues of mutual concern, and advancing our respective security and prosperity agendas.
The continued deepening of bilateral defence ties with Mexico is a priority for the Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Both Canada and Mexico’s commitment to establishing stronger defence ties has resulted in measured progress in defence engagement over the last few years including high-level visits, strategic and operational dialogue, and training opportunities.
DND/CAF’s growing cooperation with the Mexican Secretariat of National Defence (SEDENA) and the Mexican Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR) includes the following initiatives:
- Canada-Mexico Political-Military Talks - established in 2006, these regular engagements between Foreign and Defence Ministries of Canada and Mexico provide the basis for developing Canada-Mexico defence cooperation.
- Canada-Mexico Military-Military Staff Talks - established in May 2011, these regular talks are an effective way to maintain a strong relationship between Canadian and Mexican armed forces.
- North American Maritime Security Initiative (NAMSI) - a trilateral mechanism for the United States, Mexico and Canada to share information and improve maritime interoperability, domain awareness and joint response to maritime threats.
- Trilateral Meeting of North American Defence Ministers – These meetings aim to formalize and strengthen the necessary defence cooperation between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The inaugural trilateral defence meeting was hosted by Canada in March 2012. Mexico hosted the second meeting on April 24, 2014.
In addition to these initiatives, DND/CAF, SEDENA and SEMAR are exploring opportunities to share experiences in other areas of shared interest, such as humanitarian assistance and disaster response, search and rescue, care of the wounded, coastal surveillance and security in Central America.
Defence relations between Canada and Mexico have continued to grow since a Canadian Defence Attaché was first posted to Mexico in 1991. In addition to the SEDENA and SEMAR attachés at the Mexican Embassy in Ottawa, SEDENA also has a liaison officer in the Canadian Joint Operations Command. In June 2012, two officials from SEMAR participated in the Maple Flag 45 (Serial 1)’s International Observers Program in Cold Lake, Alberta. SEMAR also participated in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise off the coast of Hawaii in August 2012. This was the first time a Mexican Navy ship participated in an exercise outside the western hemisphere.
These Political-Military Talks, held between the Foreign and Defence Ministries of Canada and Mexico, were established in 2006 to further develop defence and foreign policy cooperation on hemispheric and international security issues.
The seventh round of talks was held in December 2013 in Mexico, and included productive discussions on regional security, military training, and military justice.
Building on the success of the Political-Military Talks, Canada and Mexico established Canada-Mexico Staff Talks in May 2011 as an effective and enduring way to maintain a strong relationship between the armed forces of both countries. The third iteration of these staff talks was held in Canada in May 2013.
Mexico has been a member of the Military Training and Cooperation Program(MTCP) since 2004. To date, 175 Mexican students have received MTCP-sponsored training. The Directorate of Military Training and Cooperation and Canadian Joint Operations Command are examining innovative ways to expand baseline cooperation with Mexico.
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