Summary – Morning Presidential Press Conference – Monday, October 9, 2023

President López Obrador reported that there are more than 5,000 Mexicans in Israel. He indicated that due to the cancellation of commercial flights, the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) is preparing two army planes to bring back Mexicans who wish to leave the country. The first one left this morning and the second one will depart in the afternoon. The President indicated that there are around 300 Mexicans seeking to leave Israel.

The Chief Executive reported that on November 14 and 15 he will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum summit, where he will meet with US President Joe Biden. He said that it is of the utmost importance to participate in the summit because economic and commercial issues will be addressed.

President López Obrador announced that a meeting of presidents and foreign ministers of Ecuador, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, Costa Rica, and Panama will be held on October 22 in Palenque, Chiapas to reach a good neighbor agreement on issues such as poverty, migration, and the fight against human trafficking.

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The President reported that a Guanajuato businessman was the winner of one of the former presidents’ rest homes. He indicated that the money collected will be used to support Mexican athletes who will participate in the Pan American Games. This will also be done with the money recovered from the sale of the properties seized from accused drug trafficker Genaro García Luna.

Progress was reported on the Maya Train tests carried out this past weekend. Between Sections 2, 3 and 4, more than 600 kilometers were traveled at a maximum speed of 80 km/h and despite the rain, there were no problems. On the contrary, this was an opportunity to test the train’s traction and brakes. It was emphasized that driver training is led by Sedena.

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Yucatan governor Mauricio Vila reported on the progress made in joint projects with the federal government. This includes the expansion of the Port of Progreso from 32 to 72 hectares, involving an investment of more than 3.06 billion pesos (US$167 million), the Merida and Valladolid Combined Cycle Plants, with an investment of US$1.2 billion, and the expansion of the Mayakan natural gas pipeline, with an investment of 1.5 billion dollars. Based on National Statistics Institute (INEGI) data, family income in Yucatan grew 17%, the governor said.