Roberta Jacobson, the new U.S. ambassador to Mexico, struck all the correct brotherly/sisterly notes after she “presented her credentials” to President Enrique Peña Nieto this week.
“I believe this is a great time for the relationship between the United States and Mexico,” the new envoy said. “A relationship where we are committed to ensuring the benefits of inclusion for all of our citizens in a globalized world.”
Jacobson highlighted some of the “values” the two nations share: “reducing poverty, increasing the middle class, strengthening the rule of law, government accountability and democratic principles.”
She also stressed the importance of listening “respectfully to each other’s points of view” and finding “common ground to continue making progress.”
A longtime diplomat, Jacobson was forced to wait nine months to be confirmed in her post by the U.S. Senate. The resistance was led by Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American who opposes the restoration of diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba, in which Jacobson played a central role.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he was confident Jacobson would bring her “extensive experience and judgment to this critical post.”