MEXICO: Country To Remain In NAFTA Talks, Says Foreign Minister

(RTTNews) - Mexico Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said that his country will remain in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations with the United States and Canada and will react calmly and firmly.

"Mexico is entitled to react to this kind of statement that, I am sure, throughout the negotiations is not going to be the only one, there will be twits, speeches of this nature, we must react with calm, cold head, and firm in defending national interest at the table," said Videgaray after a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump in which he indicated a possible exit from NAFTA.

Videgaray stressed that the United States, like Mexico or Canada, can leave the agreement whenever they want because "the treaty provides for this."

However, he stressed that "that could have been done by President Trump, and yet what is happening is that we are formally negotiating, in an ambitious process that will last for months."

Regarding Trump's promise to build a wall along the Mexican border and threaten with a "government closure" if he finds resistance in Congress, Videgaray said that the issue is not part of any bilateral talks.