Monday, 3 April 2023, Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt: Premier Dr. Reiner Haseloff received the Ambassador of the United Mexican States, H.E. Francisco Jose Quiroga Fernandez, for his official inaugural visit to the State Chancellery in Magdeburg.
During their talks, they exchanged views on current economic developments and discussed the expansion of bilateral relations between Mexico and Saxony-Anhalt, particularly with regard to opportunities for cooperation in the recruitment of skilled workers and in culture.
In November 2021, the state of Saxony-Anhalt had returned to Mexico, among other things, cultural artefacts that had been discovered on a property in Klötze in the Altmark region. The 13 artefacts in total (figurines, vase, plates as well as partial pieces), two of which were handed over to the Mexican authorities, date from around 250 to 850 AD and were probably sold by looted excavators. At the end of March 2023, the pieces from Saxony-Anhalt were presented with other returns from Germany at the Mexican Embassy in Germany. The artefacts from Saxony-Anhalt will be shown together with pieces returned from Germany, France and Italy in a special exhibition in the museum of the Templo Mayor in Mexico City.
In the cultural field, the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation and the Saxony-Anhalt Art Foundation have also been able to realise projects with Mexican institutions and partners in recent years. These included the purchase of a sculpture by the Mexican artist Alica Paz for the Magdeburg Museum of Art – Convent of Our Lady, which was supported by the Art Foundation.
Economic cooperation between the two countries has also shown a slight increase recently. Exports from Saxony-Anhalt to Mexico amounted to a value of around EUR 203.1 million in 2022. Compared to the previous year 2021, this was an increase of around 1.65%. In the ranking of Saxony-Anhalt’s export countries, Mexico thus ranked 21st in 2022.
For further information
Government of Saxony-Anhalt: https://europa.sachsen-anhalt.de/internationales/aktuelles-international/antrittsbesuch-des-botschafters-der-vereinigten-mexikanischen-staaten
