Mexico Seeks To Constrain Flow Of Illegal Arms From US - Foreign Minister

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th September, 2019) One of the most pressing issues for Mexico in its relations with Washington is smuggling of illegal weapons from the US territory, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Tuesday following the talks with US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, adding that his country strives to halt this flow of illicit arms.

The talks took place on Tuesday in Washington and were primarily aimed at assessing Mexico's three-month-long crackdown on illegal immigration.�

"There is another issue that we are raising � we want to stem the flow of illegal weapons to Mexico from the United States.

This is the main issue we have discussed. Illegal immigration to the United States from Mexico is such an issue for Washington," Ebrard said at a press conference.

According to the foreign minister, the issue of control over illicit arms trafficking was prioritized after negotiations with Pompeo in July, and a joint working group on the subject has been set up. The Mexico-based group consists including of representatives of US agencies and the US ambassador to Mexico.

According to the Mexican Armed Forces, over two million weapons were smuggled to the Mexican territory over the past 10 years, while 70 percent of these arms originate from the United States.