The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, arrived in Mexico City in the early hours of this Friday, November 7th, for an official visit to the country, confirmed last week by President Claudia Sheinbaum. Macron was received at the airport by Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente, and it is scheduled for him to arrive at the National Palace at 9:40 AM to hold a meeting with the Mexican head of state. During her morning press conference this Friday, Sheinbaum detailed the agenda she will maintain with her French counterpart: first, a private meeting, followed by an encounter with cabinet members, later a session with business leaders, and finally a joint press conference. This Friday's visit to Mexico by the French president will be the first by a European leader since President Sheinbaum took office in October 2024, and will mark an attempt by both leaders to strengthen economic, trade, and cultural relations between their countries. "We are going to talk about economic relations, the trade agreement that is being renewed in 2026 with the European Union and how France will essentially participate, and collaboration on science, culture, and innovation," the leader emphasized on Thursday in her daily conference. The French president arrived in Mexico from Brazil, where he is attending the COP30 summit of heads of state in the city of Belém. "I think this will be a relaunch of our relations with France, which we also welcome most cordially. There is much to be done between the two countries," stated Marcelo Ebrard, Secretary of Economy, this week when commenting on the meeting's agenda in statements to journalists. Likewise, the leader also announced that they will address historical and cultural issues, especially the request for the return of two Mexican codices, the Azacatitlán and the Bourbon, currently in France. Sheinbaum detailed that she will be accompanied by a team composed by the Secretariats of Foreign Relations, Economy, Culture, Finance, and Science, Technology and Innovation, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), as well as the Mexican ambassador to France, Blanca Jiménez. "Shared Values" In turn, sources from the Élysée Palace underlined in Paris to EFE that this first official visit of a head of state to Mexico since Sheinbaum took office a year ago should serve to strengthen ties with a country with which France "shares many values," such as the defense of multilateralism, feminist action, or the importance it places on its own sovereignty. They also insisted that Macron's desire to strengthen bilateral economic relations translate into a greater presence of French companies in Mexico, but also into greater attractiveness for French investors for Mexican investors. In this regard, they recalled that Mexico is the top Latin American investor in France. Macron's visit to Mexico—originally planned for last September and delayed due to political tensions in Paris—takes place in the framework of the preparations for the 200th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Mexico and France, which began in 1830.
