Berlin – The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has offered Mexican President, Enrique Pena Nieto support in reforming his country’s police and security forces as part of their fight against drug cartels and organised crime.
The German leader made the announcement on Tuesday in Berlin at a joint news conference with Nieto.
The news conference was held after the two leaders launched a year of cultural and economic exchanges between their countries, to be called the dual year.
Nieto admitted there had been shortcomings in internal security in Mexico.
He said there were a total of 1,800 local police structures operating side by side, which he said was not an effective way to carry out policing.
Merkel referred to the case of the 43 Mexican students, who were kidnapped and possibly murdered by police and members of a crime syndicate about one and half years ago.
She also offered the Mexican president support in the training of soldiers, to be deployed as UN peacekeepers.
During his two-day visit to Germany, Nieto joined Merkel in officially opening the so-called Mexico-Germany dual year, which seeks to strengthen relations between both countries.
“The dual year is aimed at promoting tourism, educational cooperation and security as well as economic and financial issues between Mexico and Europe’s biggest economy.
“The dual year represented a building block in the development of relations between Germany and Mexico with about 1,000 German events to be held in Mexico in the coming year,’’ Merkel said.
Nieto said that the dual year would also represent a chance for Germany and Mexico to “get to know each other better and to come closer together.”
After leaving Germany, Nieto will travel to Denmark, in the first visit to a Scandinavian country by a Mexican president. (dpa/NAN)
