A coalition of 25 border mayors, including those of San Diego and Tijuana, signed two resolutions this week pledging support for international trade and continued funding for border infrastructure projects.
During the seventh Binational Summit of the U.S.-Mexico Border Mayors Association, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum reiterated their commitment to fostering cross-border collaboration for the benefit of their people.
“By working together, this group of mayors plays a critical role in building bridges between our two countries and showing how collaboration can lead to economic prosperity for the border region,” Mayor Faulconer said in a press release. “We’ve come together with a collective voice to call on our federal leaders to invest more in border infrastructure and modernize trade regulations as we work at growing the competitive advantage we have as border cities.”
“Together we can strengthen social and economic development for our region. Especially on issues of border security and infrastructure, as this benefits citizens on both sides of the border,” said Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum.
One of the resolutions specifically calls for enhancing the legal flow of goods, services and people, as well as supporting the modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
The Border Mayors Association also signed a resolution urging federal leaders to restore funding for the U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget process.
The Binational Border Mayors Summit takes place every year, and is hosted at a U.S.-Mexico border city. Other issues addressed at the summit include bilateral relations, transportation networks, and border crossings, among others.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg stressed that the strong relationship between San Diego and Tijuana “demonstrates how diplomacy is done in the 21st Century”.
San Diego and Tijuana have several MOUs in place to benefit both communities, and every year their leaders travel to both Washington, D.C. and Mexico City to advocate for trade and other issue of interest for this binational region.
