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US President Joe Biden will be meeting with his Mexican counterpart Andres Miguel Lopez Obrador, this week. The meeting comes a month after Lopez Obrador did not attend the Summit of the Americas.
Lopez Obrador will be visiting Washington on Tuesday to meet with Biden, a month after the Mexican leader did not attend the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles. The meeting also comes amidst tensions between the two leaders regarding several issues.
Lopez Obrador declined Biden’s invitation to the summit, demanding that the US also invite the leaders of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela – countries with anti-democratic governments.
Lopez Obrador also criticized the US support for Ukraine, calling it a “crass error.” Trade, energy, foreign policy, and migration have also put some strain on relations between the United States and Mexico.
“I think it is more that the Biden administration has tried hard to re-institutionalize the relationship and restore the relationship that’s not centered solely on immigration and trade. And I think, as a result, that leads to issues coming up that AMLO is less comfortable talking about,” said Andrew Rudman of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center, referring to the Mexican leader by his initials.
US officials want Lopez Obrador to walk back on his dependence on fossil fuels and campaign to favor Mexico’s state-owned electricity utility at the expense of foreign-made plants that are powered by gas and renewable energy.
Washington has also filed complaints regarding the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, leading Mexico to enforce environmental laws and rules that guarantee union rights.
Biden is also tackling several issues at home, such as the Supreme Court’s dismantling of Roe v. Wade, that legalized abortion in the country. The US leader recently signed an executive order that would take steps to ease access to abortion services.
The order will direct the Health and Human Services Department to expand access to abortion pills that are prescribed to end pregnancies.
The order will also ensure that women have access to emergency medical care, family planning services, and contraception. The order will also protect doctors, women who travel out of state to seek abortions, and mobile abortion clinics.
