As expected, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador acknowledged Joe Biden’s win in the U.S. presidential election, following the December 14 ratification by the Electoral College.
In a letter to Biden that some news outlets described as “terse,” Lopez Obrador highlighted the long history the neighboring nations have shared, and expressed the need for both governments “to maintain good bilateral relations based on collaboration, friendship and respect to our sovereignties.”
Some analysts chose to play up the final, direct paragraph of the missive: “We are sure that with you in the presidency it will be possible to continue following the basic principles of foreign policy established in our Constitution; in particular, non-intervention and the self-determination of the people.”
Speaking at his regular morning press conference Tuesday, Lopez Obrador said he had met Biden nine years ago and that the pair had talked about the need to root out corruption in Mexico.