U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar. Photo: Google

By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF

U.S. envoy Ken Salazar, along with 16 other then-ambassador-designates, presented diplomatic credentials to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) in a solemn ceremony at the National Palace on Tuesday, Sept. 14, just three days after Salazar’s arrival in the country.

After the ceremony, in which Salazar was the last to present credentials due to the fact that the seniority of ambassadors is determined by the antiquity of their arrival in the country, the new U.S. envoy gave reporters a thumbs-up when asked about his first face-to-face encounter with the leftist Mexican head of state.

Sporting his signature 10-gallon hat, Salazar said he was looking forward to a healthy and robust bilateral relationship with the United States’ most important trade partner.

“The United States and Mexico together we are stronger because we unite the capacities, dreams and hopes of both peoples. I come to Mexico with pride in my Mexican roots and also in my U,S, roots,” Salazar said.

Also presenting credentials on Tuesday were: Rafiu Adejare Bello of Nigeria, Sara Meymand of New Zealand, Jon Benjamin of the United Kingdom, Abida Islam of Bangladesh, Ragnhild Imerslund of Norway, Fernando Estellita Lins de Salvo Coimbra of Brazil, Armella Shakaryan of Armenia, Marius-Gabriel Lazurca of Romania, Milena Georgieva Ivanova of Bulgaria, Elisabeth Kehrer of Austria, Gautier Mignot of the European Union, Oscar Arnold of Belize, Nguyen Hoanh Nam of Vietnam, José Vladimir Crespo Fernández of Bolivia, Maeve von Heynitz of Ireland and Sharon F. Saunders of Jamaica.