Mexico's president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador delivers a speech after his meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, July 3, 2018. (Xinhua/Franciso Canedo)
WASHINGTON, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Mexico next week to meet with its President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the State Department said Tuesday.
Earlier on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Lopez Obrador on ties in a phone call.
In a press briefing, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said Pompeo will travel to Mexico City on July 13 "after a whirlwind trip around the world."
"We anticipate that the Secretary will meet with President (Enrique) Pena Nieto, Foreign Secretary (Luis) Videgaray, and also the President-elect Lopez Obrador," she said.
She added that Pompeo will reaffirm the U.S. partnership with Mexico to combat transnational criminal organizations and also the opioid epidemic.
He will discuss efforts to enhance trade, curb irregular migration, and manage the U.S.-Mexico shared border.
Pompeo will also discuss continued U.S.-Mexico cooperation with the Nieto administration throughout the transition, she said, noting that the Trump administration looks forward to working with Lopez Obrador to strengthen bilateral ties after the new administration takes office on Dec. 1.
Trump on Monday spoke with Lopez Obrador over phone in a some 30-minute conversation. They touched on such issues as border security, trade, and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Lopez Obrador, a former Mexico City mayor and a leftist candidate, won the presidential election on Sunday.
The Trump administration, since taking office last year, has blamed Mexico for allowing illegal immigrants into the United States. The U.S. proposal of building a border wall paid by Mexico, along with the escalating bilateral trade confrontation, has strained their ties.
The United States started imposing tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum from the European Union, Canada and Mexico on June 1.
Mexico, together with other countries and regional blocs, has announced retaliatory measures against U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs.
The State Department announced on Monday that Pompeo will head to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday for talks. He is also expected to travel to Tokyo between Saturday and Sunday. Then he will head to Hanoi, Abu Dhabi and Brussels.
