La Jornada: Collaboration against laundering and illicit use of cryptocurrencies

Mexico and the European Union (EU) spoke yesterday about strengthening cooperation to combat transnational organized crime, through the exchange of information and strategies focused on stopping money laundering and the illicit use of cryptocurrencies.

At the end of the first meeting of the Mexico-EU bilateral strategic dialogue, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco Álvarez explained that they seek to jointly confront criminal groups that operate internationally.

“We have discussed that there are criminal organizations that carry out activities at a global level, such as money laundering; also what has to do with the use of cryptocurrencies for illicit activities. We intend to maintain a dialogue and seek possibilities of cooperation to confront these threats,” said the chancellor in a press conference held at the SRE and broadcast online, in which the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, also participated.

Strategic ally

Kallas described Mexico as a “strategic ally” and highlighted that both share values ​​in multilateral forums. He indicated that the European bloc is Mexico’s third trading partner and that work is being done to “diversify and remove risks from alliances and the supply chain.”

Regarding the relationship with the United States, the head of Mexican diplomacy rejected that the strengthening of ties with the European bloc generates tensions with the US government. “What we are doing is deepening a relationship between Mexico and the European Union, a historical relationship. We do not see that it will have an impact on the relationship with the United States,” he said.

Velasco reported that the approval granted to the ambassador appointed by Mexico, Roberto Lazeri, will continue its process in the Senate and that the instruction will be to work with the principles of respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty and cooperation without subordination. Likewise, he ruled out any effects on the Mexican consulates, after reiterating that they do not participate in political activities in that country.