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Mexican leader on state visit to Canada as bilateral relations improve

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Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto officially began his first state visit to Canada with an agenda focused on restoring bilateral relations after almost a decade of the two countries gradually becoming more distant.

The visit precedes his attendance at the North American Leaders’ Summit together with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Barack Obama, to be held this Thursday in Ottawa.

The agenda for both the bilateral visit and the summit includes the strengthening of economic relations among the NAFTA partners, but also promoting the fight against climate change in the region.

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Peña Nieto mentioned those subjects Monday in a speech he gave during the official welcoming ceremony with military honors offered by Canada’s Governor General David Johnston in Quebec City.

Describing his country and Canada as multicultural, inclusive societies, the Mexican president called for both “to foster the economic integration of North America.”

On Monday night Peña Nieto will meet with Trudeau in Toronto at a dinner offered by the Canadian government.

The biggest moment of the state visit will come this Tuesday, when Peña Nieto and Trudeau will discuss at a bilateral meeting in Ottawa the fact that relations between their countries have bogged down, particularly due to the requirement of Mexican citizens to have visas.

The measure was surprisingly imposed by Canada in 2009 when requests for refuge by Mexican citizens tripled.

The decision taken by the government of former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which was not previously discussed with Mexican authorities and which is still in force, caused serious tension between the two NAFTA partners.

Only the victory of the Liberal Trudeau in the October 2015 elections and his promise to eliminate the visa requirement for Mexicans have permitted the beginning of a thaw in bilateral relations, which must be confirmed during Peña Nieto’s visit.

Though the Canadian government has not officially revealed that it will announce the end of the visa requirement during Peña Nieto’s state visit, Canadian authorities have made clear indications that Trudeau is getting ready to make such an announcement.