Gov. Abbott to visit Mexico, meet with president

Gov. Greg Abbott will travel to Mexico City on Sunday to meet with Mexican officials in his first international trip as governor.

Abbott and a small delegation of Texas officials are scheduled to meet with Mexican President Enrique Pea Nieto, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Claudia Ruiz Massieu Salinas and other Mexican officials to discuss the “deep cultural and economic ties” between Texas and Mexico, according to a press release from Abbott’s office.

“Texas and Mexico have a deep cultural and economic history founded on common interests and values,” said Abbott in the release. “As I travel to Mexico — on my first international visit as Governor of Texas — I look forward to continuing my discussions with Mexican officials to improve bilateral relations, expand our long-standing trade partnership and ultimately create more economic prosperity on both sides of the border.”

Secretary of State Carlos Cascos, TexasOne CEO Tracye McDaniel and other members of Abbott’s staff will accompany him on the trip, which will be paid for by TexasOne, a program of the Texas Economic Development Corporation. The visit is scheduled to last until Tuesday.

Abbott’s visit was prompted by an invitation from Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Jos AntonioMeade Kuribrea, who visited Abbott in Austin in July.

In April, Cascos traveled to Mexico at Abbott’s request to speak with government officials about the relationship between Texas and Mexico. The visit was Cascos’ first international trip as secretary of state.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2015/09/03/gov-abbott-visit-mexico