PM Briceño Visits Mexico, Signs ALCE Agreement

Prime Minister John Briceño is on an official visit to Mexico where he was warmly received by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador at the National Palace.  The PM’s trip comes during a time of heightened concerns among Belizeans, following a recent spate of cartel-related violence in Quintana Roo.  During his visit to Mexico City, PM Briceño signed an agreement on behalf of Belize establishing the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency.  The Prime Minister was accompanied at the signing by Ambassador Oscar Arnold.  Belize bolsters the regional integration mechanism by joining twenty-one other countries in signing the accord.  It will also be able to enter into cooperation agreements with other Latin American and Caribbean countries involving satellite observation of environmental conditions and other risks.  ALCE, as the agency is otherwise known, will use the technological capabilities of the member countries to promote development, improve satellite communication systems; and increase the observation systems involved in preventing natural disasters and improving agriculture.  Mexican Foreign Secretary Alicia Barcena witnessed the signing of the ALCE agreement.