Mexico's top diplomat will be in San Diego Thursday to deliver UC San Diego's inaugural lecture on U.S.-Mexico relations.
In the first annual Distinguished Lecture on U.S.-Mexico Relations, Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray will focus on the role of diplomacy in addressing the most pressing issues in Mexico's relationship with the rest of North America. He'll deliver the address at 11 a.m. in U.C. San Diego's GPS Robinson Auditorium.
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Videgaray has been Mexico's chief diplomat since 2017 under President Enrique Pena Nieto and previously served in the administration as finance secretary. He previously led finance in the state of Mexico during Pena Nieto's tenure as governor.
During a February news conference in Mexico City with his Canadian and American counterparts, Videgaray acknowledged the differences between Mexico and its northern neighbor but maintained a positive tone about the relationship.
"I think in many ways the relationship today is more fluid, it's closer than it was with previous administrations, which might be surprising to some people but that's a fact of life," he said.
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Videgaray had a hand at rewriting a 2017 speech delivered by President Donald Trump about the proposed border wall, with the help of Trump son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, CBS News and the Washington Post reported.
After reviewing a draft of the speech, the diplomat reportedly said its harsh tone would be a non-starter, prompting Kushner to work with Trump and Videgaray to soften the language, though the White House and Videgaray denied that version of the minister's visit to Washington.
Policymakers from both sides of the border are expected to attend Thursday's lecture.
