Mexico Marks Anniversary of Formation of Army, Air Force

Mexico is marking three important anniversaries in this month of February. On the fifth, it was one hundred years since the publication of the Constitution of 1917 during the Mexican Revolution.  On the tenth, the Army marked its one hundred and fourth anniversary of formation, also during the Revolution, and the Air Force does the same for one hundred and two years on the nineteenth. Here in Belize the local embassy decided to open its gates for a three-in-one afternoon bash at the Cultural Institute in Belize City.  News Five dropped in and spoke to Counselor Hugo Juarez Carrillo about the evolution of the Mexican Armed Forces and the cooperation between the Mexican Army and Belize Defence Force.

Hugo Juarez Carrillo

Hugo Juarez Carrillo, Counselor, Mexican Embassy in Belize

“In 1913, [this Army was constituted], against a dictator that killed the elected President of Mexico, Francisco Madero; then one of the governors of Mexico, Venustiano Carranza, created an army in order to push for legality in Mexico, and this Army, the Mexican Revolutionary Army – the Ejercito Constitutionalista – won the war against Victoriano Huerta, the dictator, and became the new Mexican Army. The old Mexican Army was dismissed – the Ejercito Federal – and then in that time at least the higher positions were very elite positions, and now we have since 1913 until this time a very popular army that is created by the people of Mexico and supported by the people of Mexico.  Mexico is the first country that recognized the Independence of Belize, and presented its Ambassador to Belize thirty-five years ago; now we are celebrating the thirty-fifth anniversary of the establishing of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Belize. Since then, our position toward Belize has been always to support cooperation in all the fields of public and private activities. It is not an exception with the Armed Forces, and what we provide is cooperation; we have a lot of officers and chiefs of the Belizean army and Coast Guard that have gone to Mexico to receive training from the Mexican Army and Mexican navy.”