Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to head to Mexico this week for annual meeting
Nov 27, 2018, 8:04 AM
(AP Photo/Bob Christie)
(AP Photo/Bob Christie)
PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is heading south of the border this week for an annual meeting with government officials and business leaders.
The governor’s office announced that Ducey would travel to Hermosillo, Sonora, on Friday to attend the Comisión Sonora-Arizona/Arizona-Mexico Commission annual meeting.
The theme for this year’s meeting is “Strengthening Collaboration for Innovation.”
The meeting will feature panels ranging in topics from North American trade to workforce development partnerships, as well as 16 committee meetings to develop initiatives promoting trade, cross-border collaboration and more.
Gerrick Taylor, a spokesman with the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, told KTAR News 92.3 FM that this is a critical time in the U.S.-Mexico relationship, particularly with a new trade agreement in the works, a newly elected Mexican president and a caravan of Central American migrants attempting to reach the border to apply for asylum.
“This is a very busy time in U.S.-Mexico relations,” he said. “It’s no surprise the governor wants to be there to get a bird’s eye look.”
Taylor said Ducey will be faced with balancing a “duel responsibility” of advancing the pending United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement while ensuring security along the border.
“Security is paramount, but we want to see commerce continue to flow across the border, so it’s a real balancing act,” he said.
It will be Ducey’s first time visiting Mexico since he was re-elected over Democrat David Garcia earlier this month.
Ducey is expected to remain in Mexico through Saturday, when he will attend the inauguration of Mexican President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexico City.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Kathy Cline contributed to this report.
