President Barack Obama, concluding a three-day visit to Mexico and Costa Rica, said Saturday that the U.S. places great importance on its trading relationships with Latin America and will continue working to improve those ties so the entire region can become more competitive in the 21st century.
“If we do not have effective integration in our hemisphere, if we don’t have the best education systems, the best regulatory systems, if we don’t coordinate our activities, then we’re going to fall behind other regions in the world,” Obama said. “I’m confident that we can compete.”
Obama commented at a forum on economic growth and development organized by a prominent business school in Costa Rica, where he wrapped up a three-day trip to Latin America.
Obama, who has stressed trade and economic issues during the trip, said the United States considers its trading relationships with Mexico and the countries of Central America “to be of enormous importance.”
“When you look at the scale of business that’s being done currently, it’s creating jobs in the United States, it’s creating jobs here,” he said. “What we want to do is to continue to find ways to enhance that relationship,” get ideas, improve and foster small-business development.
“We now live in a very competitive 21st century world,” the president said.
During the trip, Obama called for greater trade and economic cooperation with the Latin America, arguing that economic prosperity is the best antidote to drug and gang violence and, by extension, to the illegal immigration the U.S. is seeking to control.
“One of the best ways to grow our economy is to sell more goods and services made in America to the rest of the world,” he said. “That includes our neighbors to the south.”
Throughout his trip, Obama tried to play down the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime that has dominated the U.S. relationship with Latin America for years. Instead of inserting himself in Mexico’s strategy for confronting narcotrafficking, even if it means more limited access by U.S. security officials to Mexican law enforcement, the president aimed to recast the relationship as one centered on economic issues, arguing that boosting jobs and growth is a central part of resolving the region’s security issues. In Costa Rica, he urged Central American leaders to integrate their economies, reduce their high energy costs and confront the violence in the region.
“It’s very hard to create a strong economy when people are personally feeling insecure,” he told an audience of business and community leaders at Saturday’s economic forum.
Obama’s stops in Mexico and Costa Rica marked his first visit to Latin America since winning re-election last November. His second-term victory resulted in part from the overwhelming support he received from Hispanic voters.
“When it comes to borders, they’re shared,” he said. “Are there ways in which we can share some of the costs of continual infrastructure upgrades?”
Obama was greeted warmly in Costa Rica, with crowds gathering along the roads in San Jose to watch his motorcade speed from the economic forum to the airport, where Air Force One waited to take him back to Washington.
The president’s trip coincided with the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s visit to the region. The influence of Kennedy’s visit still loomed large, with Obama and his counterparts frequently citing the themes Kennedy espoused, including expanding economic opportunity for all people and strengthening ties between governments and the private sector.
“For me to be able to visit 50 years later and to see how much progress has been made both in the region and in the ties between the United States and Central America, I think indicates that President Kennedy’s vision was sound,” Obama said.
About the Author
