MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mexican top officials will meet Trump administration to discuss bilateral relations next week

Foreign minister Luis Videgaray and Economy minister Ildefonso Guajardo will attend talks with chief-of-staff Reince Priebus and advisor Jared Kushner

Mexican officials will hold meetings on January 25 and 26 with U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump's top aides in Washington, to discuss bilateral relations such as security, trade and migration, the government said in Mexico City.

Mexican officials will hold meetings on January 25 and 26 with U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump's top aides in Washington, to discuss bilateral relations such as security, trade and migration, the government  said in Mexico City.

In a statement, the foreign ministry said Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray and Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo would attend talks with chief-of-staff Reince Priebus, Trump's son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, among others.

The meetings will also be attended by Steve Bannon, Trump's chief strategist, Gary Cohn, who heads the White House National Economic Council, trade advisor Peter Navarro, and national security advisor Michael Flynn, the statement said.

Trump has sent Mexico's peso to record lows, threatening to tax Mexican-made products for the U.S market, build a wall along the southern border, and scrap a free trade agreement with Mexico if he cannot renegotiate it to favor American interests.

Mexico is highly dependent on the US market for its exports (over 80%) and its main item of foreign income is remittances, over 25bn dollars, overwhelmingly from Mexicans working in the US.

In his inauguration speech Trump referred to countries such as Mexico, without mentioning them, since “from this moment on, it's going to be America First”, he said.

“Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families. We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength.

”We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.

“We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and hire American”.