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President Peña Nieto: (As interpreted)
Ladies and gentlemen, good evening.
Members of the media.
Your Excellency, President of the United States
of America Barack Obama; Prime Minister
of Canada Stephen Harper.
Once again, I would like to welcome
you to our country.
It is a great honor to have hosted you for the
North American Leaders Summit here in the State
of Mexico, and Toluca, its capital city --
a state that I had the great honor of being the governor
of before I took office with the greatest honor
in the world of politics, and that is to lead the course
of my country.
That is why I am very glad that we have had the
opportunity of having this meeting.
And I'd like to congratulate myself for
creating a space where we have had dialogues, where
we have outreach to our countries,
and where we have strengthened our friendship.
I can be certain that the warm space where we have
met is very different from what the teams of men and
women representing Mexico
in Sochi are having in Russia.
They are in very cold weather and fighting hard
to win a medal.
So be welcome to this very warm weather.
I would like to summarize for the media
and for your delegations the scope of our meetings.
I would like to share with you that
we have two highlights in our meetings.
First we had a bilateral with President Barack Obama
and with his delegation and their
counterparts from Mexico to address the following,
and I would like to share this with you.
First of all, we assessed the breakthroughs related
to the agreements made during President Obama's
past visit in May to our country, and now during
his fifth visit -- and I must note that Mexico
ranks top of the list of the most visited
countries by President Obama during his term.
And we were able to identify the level
of progress of the agreements made back then; how much
we have advanced the exchange between high
level officials to precisely boost the trade
and commercial relationship
that Mexico and the U.S. have.
We have also analyzed the possibility of setting
forward new mechanisms to build
and fund strategic projects.
We have agreed to work on a proposal that would
help us find different mechanisms to fund
projects so that we can give a new life to our
infrastructure, to have more agile
and have safer commercial
transactions between our countries.
Specifically, we talked about education.
We have set the task to have more academic
exchanges so that more Mexican students can study
in the United States and, reciprocally, students
from the United States come to Mexico to study.
The number of students so far is somehow low,
considering the potential that we have.
And out of the 14,000 students from Mexico that
go to the United States to study, we have set a goal
and that is to increase year by year this figure
and reach 100,000 students a year that visit the
United States, and 50,000 students from
the U.S. coming to Mexico to study.
We have revised our security agenda and we
have agreed to maintain a strategic dialogue,
to coordinate efforts so we can face a common issue --
security in both of our countries and,
specifically, security at the border.
On the other hand, I would like to refer to the
outcome of the North American Leaders Summit.
Therefore, I would like to share with you highlights
in terms of the agreements reached in this framework.
We have worked on four main topics.
The first one is to foster shared
and inclusive prosperity.
We have agreed to work on a plan to boost
competitiveness.
We also have agreed to work on a North America
transport plan which would give us better
infrastructure in our three countries to make
the commerce that happens between
our three nations thrive.
We also agreed to standardize and expedite
all the procedures that
take place in our customhouses.
We have also agreed to enable
the movement of individuals,
and by this have Trusted Travelers Programs.
We have, each one, a program of this nature
with a purpose in mind that all the travelers
that are part of the Trusted Travelers
registers in our countries are considered as a vetted
traveler in North America.
Additionally, in terms of the second topic,
we have addressed areas of opportunity.
And I must insist, in terms of our binational
agenda with the United States,
we have added up Canada to work on a program
to train professionals by increasing our academic
exchanges and ensuring mobility of students
between our three countries.
We have also agreed to foster sustainable
development, working towards the mitigation
of the effects of climate change.
And in the area of sustainability,
we have also agreed to work on the preservation
of the Monarch butterfly.
It is a landmark species in North America.
This is a species present in our three countries,
and we have agreed to work a taskforce
with a presentation from our three countries
to preserve the Monarch butterfly.
Then, another topic is citizen security
and regional topics.
We have agreed to give privilege
to the exchange of information,
and we have also privilege to coordinate efforts
between law enforcement authorities.
We will reinforce the measures aimed to fight
money laundering and illicit financial flows.
And for that purpose we need to integrate
our financial systems further.
We have also restated our commitment to support and
cooperate with the Central America region
as well as the Caribbean because they are partners
in this hemisphere.
We have committed to foster development,
economic growth and citizen
security as well.
Basically, I have summarized the commitments
made during the summit.
And fourthly, we have committed, the three
of us, to give follow-up to all the agreements made.
Besides making agreements, we have committed
to give follow-up to each one of those agreements
and we have committed to make them happen.
Finally, I would like to share with you that in
order to reach our goals we need to identify
that North America is quite valuable.
The Free Trade Agreement executed 20 years ago and
the intense dialogue that we have between
our three countries in the North American region
is very valuable and every exchange
is based on trust.
And we share a very good relationship between
all of us who lead our countries.
This North America Leaders Summit has been a very
good opportunity to specify
what our commitments will be and what
are the tasks for the future.
And it has also served as a space to restate our
friendship, the good relationship that we have
and the respect that we pay to each other.
And we have committed to work hard to make
a significant contribution, to make North America
a more competitive region -- I would dare
to say the most competitive region in the world.
And this is a region that has a true
call for prosperity.
And we will work to provide better well-being
to the citizens of our countries.
We have made great strides.
We create plenty of jobs due to the economic
relationship that we have managed to achieve,
but we want more.
We want more development.
We are aware of the potential that
we find in North America.
And I make a pledge so that the seventh summit
of leaders of North America serves its purpose.
Once again, we welcome, and I would like to say
that I hope you have had a very pleasant stay
in Toluca and I hope that this visit
has been very fruitful.
And I hope that we have been able to build
an even stronger relationship.
Thank you.
(applause)
President Obama: Buenas noches
to President Peña Nieto.
To the people of Toluca and the people of Mexico,
thank you so much for your extraordinary hospitality.
Thank you again, Enrique, for welcoming
us to your hometown and home state,
which -- like the beautiful surroundings tonight --
reflects Mexico's proud history as well
as the economic dynamism of today's Mexico.
I want to thank President Peña Nieto and Prime
Minister Harper for their partnership in deepening
the extraordinary ties between our countries --
especially the trade that supports
good jobs for our people.
For the United States, Canada and Mexico
are two of our largest trading partners with
trade that supports millions of American jobs.
Thanks in part to our efforts to boost
U.S. exports, American exports to Canada and Mexico
continue to grow faster than our exports
to the rest of the world.
Together, our countries have strengths that give
North America a tremendous competitive advantage --
the skills of our workers, manufacturing that's
growing, and new sources of energy.
So we have to take advantage of these
competitive advantages, and we need
to do it together.
All of this positions us to be a powerhouse in the
global economy.
And that's why we're here, to make sure that we're
doing everything we can to be more competitive
and create more jobs in Canada, in Mexico,
and in the United States.
First, we're focused on making it easier to trade.
Earlier today, I signed a new executive order
to make it easier for companies that want
to export and import.
Instead of dealing with dozens of different
federal agencies and long paper forms, we're going
to create a one-stop shop online,
so companies can submit all their information
in one place and save themselves time and money.
We're going to keep investing
in infrastructure -- like roads, bridges,
border crossings -- so our goods are getting
to market faster.
We've agreed to keep working to make it easier
for our businesspeople and tourists
to trade and travel.
And we're going to step up our efforts to streamline
and eliminate regulations or the red tape
that can sometimes stifle trade and job creation.
We've agreed to keep working to complete
negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership,
including strong protections
for our workers and the environment,
so that we can compete in the fast-growing markets
of the Asia Pacific.
And because it will grow the
U.S. economy and make the United States more
attractive to investment -- and because we have to
do right by our families and our values -- I've
reiterated that immigration reform remains
one of my highest priorities.
I'm also very pleased that we've agreed to keep
expanding educational partnerships,
as Enrique mentioned, so our young people develop the skills
they need to succeed in the global economy.
And this builds on my initiative that
we call 100,000 Strong in the Americas.
We want more students from the United States studying
throughout the hemisphere, and we want more students
from places like Mexico and Canada studying
in the United States -- so that they're developing
familiarity and partnerships and
friendships that will serve them
and serve our countries well for decades to come.
Second, we continue to deepen our clean-energy
partnerships, which create jobs
and combat climate change.
Yesterday, I announced that the United States
will develop new fuel economy standards
for heavy-duty trucks -- standards
that reduce carbon pollution.
And today, all three of our nations have agreed
to work together to meet high fuel standards
for these heavy-duty trucks.
And more broadly, we agreed to join with our
Central American and Caribbean partners on a
regional energy strategy.
And this builds on the commitment I made in
Central America last year to help our partners
across the region reduce their energy costs and
become more competitive.
On a global level, we agreed to keep standing
together as we push for an international agreement
to phase down the production and consumption
of dangerous hydrofluorocarbons.
Number three, we know that realizing our full
potential as individual countries and as a region
means confronting the criminals
and narcotraffickers who unleashed
so much violence on our citizens.
Here in Mexico, the security forces and the
Mexican people continue to make enormous sacrifices
in that fight, and our three nations are united
against this threat.
In the United States, we continue to be committed
to reduce the demand for illegal drugs and we'll
continue our unprecedented efforts to combat
the southbound flow of illegal guns and cash.
And, finally, given our shared commitment
to democratic values and human rights,
I want to take this opportunity to address the situation
in Venezuela and Ukraine, and the unacceptable violence
in those two countries, which
the United States strongly condemns.
In Venezuela, rather than trying to distract from
its own failings by making up false accusations
against diplomats from the United States,
the government ought to focus on addressing the
legitimate grievances of the Venezuelan people.
So, along with the Organization of American
States, we call on the Venezuelan government
to release protestors that it's detained
and engage in real dialogue.
And all parties have an obligation to work
together to restrain violence and restore calm.
With regard to Ukraine, along with our European
partners, we will continue to engage all sides.
And we continue to stress to President Yanukovych
and the Ukrainian government that they have
the primary responsibility to prevent the kind
of terrible violence that we've seen, to withdraw
riot police, to work with the opposition to restore
security and human dignity
and move the country forward.
And this includes progress towards a multiparty
technical government that can work
with the international community on a support package
and adopt reforms necessary for free and fair
elections next year.
Ukrainians are a proud and resilient people who've
overcome extraordinary challenges in their
history, and that's a pride and strength that
I hope they draw on now.
Meanwhile, I've urged the military in Ukraine to
show restraint and to let civilians pursue
the dialogue necessary for progress.
We've obviously seen reports of a truce between
the government and the opposition.
If the truce is implemented,
it could provide space for the sides
to resolve their disagreements peacefully.
And going forward, we'll continue to do whatever
we can to support Ukrainians as they seek a peaceful
resolution and respond to the aspirations of the
Ukrainian people for a strong, unified democracy
that's fully integrated into
the international community.
So, again, I want to thank Enrique and the people
of Mexico, and the people of Toluca,
for their wonderful hospitality.
If we stay focused on our shared vision -- a North
America that's more integrated and more
competitive -- then progress in each of our
countries will mean more prosperity
and opportunity for everyone.
Thank you very much.
(applause)
Prime Minister Harper: (As interpreted) Allow me
to start out by thanking President Peña Nieto
for his generous hospitality.
We have had a wonderful stay
in this wonderful country, in Mexico,
and we are eager to come back soon.
Today, I had fruitful meetings and dialogues
with my commercial partners from Mexico
in regard to services, information, and also
shared and fundamental values and, of course,
a democratic and peaceful world.
Today, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of NAFTA.
As time can tell us, this treaty was successful,
and it started guaranteeing prosperity from one
extreme to the other of the hemisphere.
The volume of exchanges is fourfold now,
and is over $30 billion.
And we have now seen exponential growth
and can hope for exponential growth in years to go.
We are in agreement to say that we can still grow the
success of NAFTA, to implement new ways,
for instance, in regard to the Trans-Pacific alliance.
And so these negotiations should be for the best.
We need to create employment.
This is the key to revitalize
the economy and to foster prosperity not
only for the Canadian populations,
but for our populations at large.
That's why our government will keep on working and
expanding the free trade and commerce with our main
partners in North America, as well as with Asia
Pacific region and worldwide,
since we want to have access on the other side of the
Atlantic, since we have subscribed
to the free exchange agreement with Europe.
Today, President Obama, President Peña Nieto
and myself have discussed and have delved into many
topics, especially the state of the world economy
at a local, regional level,
and competiveness -- North American competitiveness.
We are truly enthusiastic to collaborate, with this
idea of collaborating together.
We shall keep on working together with my
homologues (counterparts) and to take a profit
of all the occasions for the well-being
of our populations.
And we will host the forthcoming population
of the summit in Canada.
And I would like to add a word in regard
to the situation in Ukraine.
There's been a truce, but it is essential
that we take action.
And at the end of the day, the Ukrainian government
has to be held responsible
for settling this situation.
The Ukrainian government took actions -- actions
that were not only unpopular, but actions
that put at risk nature and the aspirations
of becoming an independent nation.
(In English.) My sincer thanks
to President Peña Nieto and the Mexican
people for their generous hospitality.
We've had a wonderful time here in beautiful Mexico,
and I look forward to returning again soon.
Today we had productive meetings
with Canada's closest friends and trading partners --
partners with whom we share goods, services and
information, and also fundamental values
and a vision for a democratic and peaceful world.
This year we mark the 20th anniversary
of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
And as only time can reveal,
the agreement -- statistics alone -- has been overwhelmingly
successful and is responsible for creating
prosperity from the bottom
to the top of the continent.
There has been a fourfold growth
in trilateral trade over the last 20 years
that now exceeds a trillion dollars.
And it is estimated that the NAFTA marketplace will
continue to expand exponentially
in the decades to come.
We all agree that there is enormous potential
to build on the success of NAFTA in new ways,
for example, most notably through
the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
We're therefore focused on bringing those
negotiations to a successful conclusion.
Developing trade is one of the keys to job creation.
It is a key to economic vitality,
and it is a key to long-term prosperity
not just for the Canadian people,
but for all of our peoples.
That's why our government will continue to work
to expand trade with our two core trading partners
in North America, in the Asia Pacific region more
generally, and around the world -- just as we did
last year, when we expanded our access across
the Atlantic through the conclusion of the
Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic
and Trade Agreement.
In our meetings today, Presidents Peña Nieto,
Obama and I discussed a range of topics as have
already been detailed by my colleagues,
including the state of the global economy,
international regional security,
and North American competitiveness.
We share a genuine enthusiasm
for closer collaboration.
The Presidents and I will continue to work together
to address the challenges of the 21st century
and to seize the many promising opportunities
that the future holds for our peoples.
And I do look forward to hosting
the next North American Leaders Summit in Canada.
And I'd also just like to conclude
with a word on the situation in Ukraine.
We obviously are encouraged
to hear the news of a truce.
While this is good news, this kind of news, these
kinds of words are only meaningful
if they are put into action.
And ultimately, it is the regime that
is responsible for resolving the current situation.
It is the regime that created this situation --
not by taking decisions that were merely
unpopular, but by undertaking decisions
that went against the very nature and aspirations
of Ukraine as an independent state.
And for that reason, we hold the government
responsible and urge them to take all the steps
necessary to resolve the situation
and to put Ukraine back on the democratic
and Euro-Atlantic
path that the Ukrainian people desire.
(applause)
Moderator: (As interpreted) We will have
a round of questions.
Jason McDonald will introduce the Canadian
journalist asking the question.
Mr. Mcdonald: Omar Sachedina from CTV News.
The Press: Mr. President, good evening to you.
Canada has offered to work with the United States
on joint rules to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
in the oil and gas sector.
You've said the Keystone XL pipeline
won't be approved if it significantly
worsens climate change.
The State Department report has concluded
that Keystone will not have a significant
effect on climate change.
So my question to you is, what more needs
to be done on both sides of the border
for this project to go ahead?
And, Prime Minister, I'd love for you to be able
to weigh on this as well.
Et en français aussi, s'il vous plaît.
The President: Well, as I've stated previously,
there is a process that has been gone through,
and I know it's been extensive,
and at times I'm sure Stephen feels a little too laborious.
But these are how we make these decisions about
something that could potentially
have a significant impact on America's
national economy and our national interests.
So the State Department has gone
through its review.
There is now a comment period
in which other agencies weigh in.
That will be evaluated by Secretary of State Kerry,
and we'll make a decision at that point.
In the meantime, Stephen and I, during a break
after lunch, discussed a shared interest
in working together around dealing
with greenhouse gas emissions.
And this is something that we have to deal with.
I said previously that how Keystone impacted
greenhouse gas emissions would affect our decision,
but, frankly, it has to affect
all of our decisions at this stage, because
the science is irrefutable.
We're already seeing severe
weather patterns increase.
That has consequences for our businesses,
for our jobs, for our families, for safety and security.
It has the potential of displacing people in ways
that we cannot currently fully anticipate,
and will be extraordinarily costly.
So I welcome the work that we can
do together with Canada.
One of the wonderful things about North America
is we have this amazing bounty of traditional
fossil fuels, and we also have extraordinary
businesses that are able to extract them
in very efficient ways.
And that's something that we should welcome
because it helps to promote economic growth.
But we only have one planet, and so I believe
that ultimately we can both promote economic
development and growth, recognizing that we're not
going to immediately transition off of fossil
fuels, but that we do have to point to the future and
show leadership so that other countries who will
be the main emitters fairly soon -- China,
India, other emerging markets --
so that they can look at what we're doing
and we have leverage over them in terms
of them improving their practices as well.
So this will be a joint effort.
I'm very eager to consult with Stephen
around those issues.
And Keystone will proceed along the path that's
already been set forth.
Prime Minister Harper: Let me just
say a couple of things.
First of all, obviously, President Obama
and I had an exchange on this.
My views in favor of the project
are very well known.
His views on the process
are also equally well known.
And we had that discussion and will
continue on that discussion.
I would just say two things about the process.
First, on the issue of climate change,
which is a shared concern, Canada and the United States
have similar targets at the international level.
We already cooperate in several sectors
in terms of emissions reductions.
But in terms of climate change,
I think the State Department report already
was pretty definitive on that particular issue.
The other thing I'd just draw attention to,
just because I think it's useful to point out the
benefits to Canada, is the reform that
we had done of environmental review and assessments
of projects in Canada.
As you know, a couple years ago we moved
to reform our system so that we have
a single review wherever possible -- a single review,
a multi-dimensional review that happens
over a fixed timeline.
And I think that is a process that is
tremendously useful in giving investors greater
certainty in terms of the kind of plans
they may have in the Canadian economy.
(As interpreted) And now I shall repeat
my comments in French.
We - President Obama has put the cornerstone in,
I can only echo on the American process that
President Obama has proposed.
We already had a conversation in this
regard, I'd like to add two comments
in regard to this process.
First, in regards to assignment change, we do
share these concerns, not only in the United States,
but world wide, we are already collaborating in
many sectors to abate the green gas effect
emissions, and at the same time, we have - we
understand that the State Department conclusions are
quite correct, and we wish to push forward the
investments throughout North America, so we have
established revival system for our peers in
determining a precise timeline, and this gets
much better results for our investors.
Mr. Carney: From the traveling U.S.
press, goes to Jim Kuhnhenn
of the Associated Press.
The Press: Señor Presidente,
muchas gracias.
Ha sido un placer.
Prime Minister -- do you
worry that longstanding opposition to trade
deals in the U.S. from both the President's
party and some Republicans pose a threat
to the Trans-Pacific Partnership?
And do you -- in your mind, is it essential that
Congress approve it, or at least give the President
fast track authority this year,
or can it wait until after the
U.S. elections in November?
Mr. President, if you'd like to chime
in on that as well -- you mentioned parochial interest
today; I'd be interested in how you intend
to bring your Democrats along.
But I had a question for you on something
else that you raised.
President Obama: How many questions
do you got, Jim?
The Press: Just one, sir.
President Obama: Okay.
(laughter) Because you know I've got to answer
that one, too, right?
That was a pretty slick move.
(laughter)
The Press: The common denominator in the strife
in Ukraine and Syria is the support that those
two governments get from Russia,
and I'm wondering, sir, if you believe that
President Putin bears some responsibility
for the intransigence of those two regimes.
And to some degree, has this gone beyond
just those two countries, and has it become
a tug of war between two world powers?
President Obama: Let me answer very briefly
on the trade issue.
It's not accurate, Jim, to say that my party
opposes this trade deal.
There are elements of my party that oppose this
trade deal, there are elements of my party that
oppose the South Korea free trade agreement,
the Colombia free trade agreement and the Panama
free trade agreement -- all of which we passed
with Democratic votes.
So what I've said to President Peña Nieto and
Prime Minister Harper is we'll get this passed
if it's a good agreement.
And the key at this point is to make sure that our
countries, which hold ourselves up as champions
of free trade, resolve our legitimate national
interests in these negotiations so that
we can present a united front against a number
of the other participants in the TPP negotiations
who don't have as much of a tradition of free trade.
And that is to our advantage, precisely
because North America has this amazing competitive
advantage, and we are already
relatively open markets.
And part of our goal here is to make sure
that the Asia Pacific region -- which is growing faster
than anyplace else in the world, has a larger
population than anyplace else in the world --
that they have a model of trade that is free and fair
and open and allows our businesses to compete and
allows our workers to make goods and deliver services
that those markets are purchasing.
And we can only do that if we raise the bar in terms
of what our trade models look like.
And I've said this to some of my own constituents who
are opposed to trade: Those who are concerned
about losing jobs or outsourcing need to
understand some of the old agreements
put us at a disadvantage.
That's exactly why we've got to have stronger
agreements that protect our intellectual property,
that open up markets to our agricultural products;
that make sure that when it comes to government
procurement or sovereign wealth funds in these
other countries, that they're not taking
advantage of our businesses and preventing
us from competing there.
That's exactly why we've got to get this done.
And I'm very appreciative of the shared vision
and commitment that Prime Minister Harper
and President Enrique Peña Nieto have on this issue.
Now, with respect to Syria and the Ukraine,
I do think it is worth noting that you have in this
situation one country that has clearly been
a client state of Russia, another whose government
is currently -- been supported by Russia; where
the people obviously have a very different view and
vision for their country.
And we've now seen a great deal of turmoil
there that arose organically from within those countries.
I don't think there's a competition between
the United States and Russia.
I think this is an expression of the hopes
and aspirations of people inside of Syria and people
inside of the Ukraine who recognize
that basic freedoms -- freedom of speech,
freedom of assembly, fair and free elections,
the ability to run a business without paying a bribe,
to not be discriminated against because of your religion
or your beliefs -- that those are fundamental
rights that everybody wants to enjoy.
Now, Mr. Putin has a different view
on many of those issues, and I don't think
that there's any secret on that.
And our approach as the United States is not
to see these as some Cold War chessboard
in which we're in competition with Russia.
Our goal is to make sure that the people of Ukraine
are able to make decisions for themselves about their
future, that the people of Syria are able
to make decisions without having bombs going off
and killing women and children,
or chemical weapons, or towns being starved because
a despot wants to cling to power.
Those express our values and our national
interests, and we will continue
to express those national interests.
There are times, I hope,
where Russia will recognize that over the long term they should
be on board with those values and interests as well.
Right now, there are times where
we have strong disagreements.
And when I speak to Mr. Putin, I'm very candid
about those disagreements, even as we will continue
to pursue cooperation with Russia on areas
where we had shared concerns.
But I want to emphasize this: The situation that
happened in Ukraine has to do with whether
or not the people of Ukraine can determine
their own destiny.
And my government and Vice President Biden,
and I personally, have expressed to President Yanukovych
the need for him to recognize the spirit
of the Ukrainian people and work with that,
as opposed to trying to repress it.
And so we'll continue to stand
on the side of the people.
My hope is, at this point, that a truce may hold,
but Stephen is exactly right --
ultimately, the government is responsible for making
sure that we shift towards some sort of unity government,
even if it's temporary, that allows us to move
to fair and free elections so that the will of the Ukrainian
people can be rightly expressed without the
kinds of chaos we've seen on the streets and without
the bloodshed
that all of us I think strongly condemn.
Prime Minister Harper: On the issue
of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, as I said,
we are wanting to see and committed
to seeing a good,
comprehensive Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.
I think it's in all of our interest for the reasons
that have already been laid out.
That said, the government of Canada's position
is always clear in these matters that we will only
come to an agreement when we are convinced
the agreement is in the best interest of Canada.
And we will stay at the table as long
as it takes to get to that particular situation.
And I think we have the track record to prove it.
Our government, the current government
of Canada, has signed more trade agreements
than all previous Canadian governments combined.
What I would say is this --
I'm not going to comment on the process in Congress.
What I would say is this -- the reason I said what
I said about working until we get an agreement
that is in the interest of Canada
is we will have to have an agreement that can
be sold to the Canadian Parliament
and ultimately to the Canadian people.
And that's what we're aiming for.
I repeat, in regard to the transpacific agreement,
in regards to our relationship with the Asian Pacific region,
we have our own perspective, and we will negotiate up to the
point where we will
have an agreement on the table, and we need -
we need to show that
our administration has subscribed more agreements
than any other previous administrations,
so for the Canadian government, it is essential to know
that we can submit these proposals
to the Canadian parliament,
and of the line to (inaudible)
President Peña Nieto: (As interpreted) The Mexican
stand has been very clear,
and specifically our take on the TPP have always stated
it, it is of the interest of Mexico.
We have been part of the negotiation rounds
to eventually reach an agreement of this
important opportunity that the TPP offers.
We can expand the potential of North America
into the Asia Pacific region.
Mexico would do its best for the sake of Mexico
to be on the side of the solution.
We will overcome
disagreements and eventual roadblocks
that the negotiation rounds present.
And we hope that it is this spirit
that we reach the agreement.
Mexico has made a commitment
and has shown political will
to be part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
We hope that the deal happens.
That is the Mexican stand, and we will work
to the best of our ability to reach this goal.
Now, on behalf of Mexico, Miguel Reyes Razo,
from the Mexican Editorial Organization,
will ask a question.
The Press: (As interpreted)
Good evening, everyone.
By virtue of the fact that we celebrate
the 20th anniversary of the efforts made by Mexico,
the United States and Canada, we have NAFTA for 20 years.
I would like to ask Enrique Peña Nieto,
the President of my country, what is the outlook of the
northern part of this continent
in terms of development?
And at the same time, Mr. President Peña Nieto,
I would like to know, what are the challenges
for the development that we have hoped for,
that we are expecting?
And I would like to ask the President of the United
States of America, Mr. Obama, and Mr. Harper,
the Prime Minister of Canada -- what is the
engagement that we should expect from you?
What is your actual commitment
to make this region, North America,
thrive in economical terms?
Now, we have 13 months and a half
of your administration, Mr. Enrique Peña Nieto.
And you, Canada and the United States,
partners and neighbors of this country,
what is your take?
What is your take on this 13 months and a half of
the Mexican President?
Thank you very much for your reply.
President Peña Nieto: (As interpreted.)
Mr. Miguel, I believe that we have been very candid
in terms of the huge strength that
we see in North America after 20 years
of the free trade agreement.
Our trade has been able to thrive.
We have more commercial exchanges.
We have more investment in the region.
And today we have integrated added value
chains between our three countries.
That means that we are adding value to products
that are offered in this great market.
We are fully aware of the economic growth since,
so far, we are fully aware of the creation
of jobs in North America.
That is why we have committed in this summit
to take on actions that would help us strengthen
our economic ties even further.
We have committed to enable trade, to have
better infrastructure, to have safer exchanges,
and to make our trade be easier.
So these are the agreements
that we have made today.
And we have also acknowledged
the enormous potential.
And the future that we see in the horizon
would be based on the strengths that we
have built upon over the course of the last 20 years.
And let us acknowledge that we are three
countries that we are like-minded
in terms of our values.
We are three democratic countries.
We are three countries who believe in free trade.
And our countries have found in this instrument
a space to create jobs and
to have more development in our nations.
President Obama: Well, as we've said I think
throughout our meetings today, America's success,
Mexico's success, Canadian success
are all bound together.
I think that if you just look at the facts,
Mexico has made enormous strides
over the last several decades.
And, in part, that is because
we've seen a greater integration of Mexico
in the world economy.
I think the United States and Canada
have played constructive roles in that.
Our ability to trade and engage in commerce with
Mexico obviously has created jobs and
opportunities in our country, as well.
And so it has been a mutually beneficial
partnership -- based on self-interest,
but also as Enrique said, based on common values.
We've seen a consolidation of democracy here in
Mexico, and I think the kinds of reforms that
Enrique has initiated over the last 13 months are
ones that will put Mexico in an even stronger
competitive footing in the world economy
in the years to come.
And I recognize there are still implementation
issues that will be involved, and there will
be a healthy debate here in Mexico,
but I'm confident, given the talent of the Mexican
people, given the resources of the Mexican
people, given the growing capacity of Mexican
businesses, and given the fact that we,
as a North American entity, constitutes a huge trading
bloc and economic powerhouse around the
world, that we should anticipate Mexico's growth
to continue, standards of living to continue,
jobs and opportunities to continue.
And that's what we hope for all our countries.
I'm confident that the partnership that we've
developed is good for the United States,
creates jobs in the United States,
helps businesses in the United States.
And if we continue to cooperate and try to
reduce some of the barriers that have
in the past slowed down our commercial exchanges,
as well as educational exchanges and scientific
exchanges, then we're going
to be successful.
Prime Minister Harper: (As interpreted.) Allow me,
this is our perspective.
While Canada has seen great success, but the
development of Mexico throughout this time
period that is 20 years has been unbelievable,
socially, economically, politically.
And Mexico is becoming a world of power.
And we see this accelerating process with
the support of President Peña Nieto.
You have made comments on the challenges to meet.
I think that the greatest one is the need to keep on
increasing the flow of goods and services and
information across our borders at a time where
risks and threats to security are also
increased across the borders.
And that will be the
greatest challenge to meet.
(In English.) Look, I think the NAFTA
relationship, as I've said before, has been
tremendously successful for all of us.
But I think, looking back 20 years, the development
of Mexico on all levels -- economic, social,
political -- over the period
has been incredible.
It's a process that is accelerating under
President Peña Nieto's very bold vision for the
future, and Mexico is increasingly
becoming a global economic player.
You asked about challenges.
I think the biggest single challenge
is in an era where we are seeing and need
to see even greater movement of goods, services, people,
investments, information flows across our borders,
that at the same time, the risks and the threats to
security across those borders continue to rise.
So the big challenge will be how we continue
to grow that human and trade flow, while at the same time
minimizing the risks.
MODERATOR: (As interpreted) President Peña Nieto,
would you like to take the floor
so you can officially close this meeting?
President Peña Nieto: (As interpreted.)
Yes, I will.
Thank you very much.
Once again, I would like to congratulate
myself for this summit.
We have built a climate that is based on trust,
respect, and we have worked towards a
relationship that it's very clear in terms of the
responsibilities of each one of the heads of state.
And I am certain that this relationship will result
in a greater integration, a stronger friendship,
and whatever we do for the sake
of North America will benefit our peoples.
I would like to bear testimony of how grateful
I am towards the authorities of the state,
the Governor of the State of Mexico, Eruviel Ávila.
I'd like to thank you for enabling the summit
to take place here.
I would like to thank the Chief Justice
of the State of Mexico.
They provided us with their facilities.
And I would like to thank the inhabitants of the
capital city of the State of Mexico, Toluca,
for their hospitality.
I thank them.
And I'd like to thank all of them for the
inconveniences and all the preparation work and all
the security operations needed for the summit.
I'm very grateful towards them.
And I'm very grateful for the hospitality given
to the President of the United States,
Barack Obama; and the Prime Minister of Canada,
Stephen Harper.
Thank you very much and have a safe trip home.
Thank you very much.
(applause)