Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Velasco is prioritizing the bilateral relationship with the United States in his first days in the job. In addition to speaking by phone to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Velasco met with U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ron Johnson in Mexico City last week.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) said on social media on Saturday that Velasco and Johnson met at SRE headquarters to discuss “the various issues on the shared agenda.”
“Within this framework, they reiterated their mutual commitment to continue strengthening cooperation and collaboration based on the principles that guide the bilateral relationship in order to bring well-being and prosperity to both sides of the border,” the SRE said.
President Claudia Sheinbaum frequently highlights that the Mexico-U.S. relationship is based on principles such as respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as mutual trust. She has maintained a cordial relationship with Donald Trump even as the U.S. president threatened to launch strikes against cartels in Mexico and accused his counterpart of being “very scared” of the cartels.
Responding to the SRE post via his own X account, Johnson said that he and Velasco discussed “the shared priorities of our countries and the importance of continuing to work together to strengthen our historic cooperation and ensure it continues to deliver results for both our nations.”
The ambassador also wrote that he had congratulated the new foreign affairs minister on his appointment and “wished him every success in his tenure, as we continue advancing this partnership under the leadership of” Trump and Sheinbaum. Johnson frequently acknowledges Mexico’s efforts to combat crime and touts the high levels of bilateral security cooperation.
Met with Secretary @r_velascoa to discuss the shared priorities of our countries and the importance of continuing to work together to strengthen our historic cooperation and ensure it continues to deliver results for both our nations. I also congratulated him and wished him… https://t.co/163K68TneN
— Embajador Ronald Johnson (@USAmbMex) April 11, 2026
Velasco’s nomination as foreign minister was approved by the Senate last Wednesday. Sheinbaum nominated him for the role after Juan Ramón de la Fuente decided to resign for health reasons earlier this month. Velasco is well-versed in the various aspects of the Mexico-U.S. relationship, having served as deputy foreign affairs minister for North America prior to succeeding de la Fuente.
His early focus on Mexico’s relationship with the United States is not surprising given that the two countries are each other’s largest trade partner and share a range of challenges, including in the areas of security, biosecurity and migration. A mandated review of the USMCA — the North American free trade agreement that also includes Canada — is taking place this year against a backdrop of increased U.S. protectionism against all countries around the world, including the United States’ southern and northern neighbors.
Velasco: ‘We must translate diplomacy into prosperity for the people of Mexico’
In an address on Thursday directed to SRE officials and Mexican diplomats abroad, Velasco said that “foreign policy is, in essence, the external expression of a national project” — i.e., the “fourth transformation” political project led by Sheinbaum and the Morena party.
“Our task is not limited to representation; we must transform,” the foreign minister said, according to an SRE statement.
“We must translate diplomacy into prosperity for the people of Mexico, into effective protection for those far from home, and into tangible opportunities for our country’s development,” Velasco said.
The 38-year-old foreign minister is an Ibero-American University-trained lawyer and earned a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago in 2017. According to media reports, Velasco is Mexico’s first openly gay cabinet minister.
With reports from EFE
