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Mexico Requires Visas for Canadian diplomats-Retaliation

by Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke | July 16, 2009 at 09:05 pm

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Canada has implemented the requirement for visitors from Mexico and the Czech Republic for Visas. The stated reason was that 9400 Mexicans applied for refugee status and Canada was attempting to slow this development.

Canada stated that Mexico had been given ample warning, while Mexico maintains that they only received about 24 hours warning prior to this implementation.

This was an announcement that caught the Canadian public by surprise as well.

The new policy has created problems for legitimate travelers from Mexico and has created long line ups in the heat for those travelers to obtain Visas. Travel agencies are scrambling to ensure Mexican tourists don't cancel their trips. There are also allegations that the Canadian Embassy in Mexico is disorganized, unable to keep up to the high demand.

Mexico has now retaliated against Canada. Mexico now requires that Canadian officials and diplomats will need visas to enter Mexico.

Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa made the announcement Thursday during trilateral talks in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon.

Patricia Espinosa stated that Mexico would not require Canadian tourists to get visas. Canadian visitors to Mexico number approximately 1.3 Million per year.

Mexico has retaliated against Canada for imposing visa restrictions, saying Canadian officials and diplomats will need visas to enter Mexico.

Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa made the announcement Thursday during trilateral talks in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon.

She said Mexico would not force Canadian tourists — who number 1.3 million a year and are vital to the Mexican economy — to get visas to visit.

"We stated with a great deal of respect, but also very firmly, that we were in disagreement with this measure, that it was our opinion that this is not something that is going to help to resolve the problem that Canada’s trying to solve," Espinosa said.

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Uwe Paschen

at 04:59 on July 17th, 2009

Good on them.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 05:02 on July 17th, 2009

I agree, it was kind of a backhanded move with little notice. It was incredible seeing the lineups at the Embassy in Mexico trying to get VISAs. They didn.t even make arrangements for more staff to speed up the procedure.