On Thursday August 1st, the U.S. Senate confirmed attorney Christopher Landau as ambassador to Mexico, filling a highly relevant position to negotiations on trade and immigration but which has been vacant for more than a year.
The Senate unanimously confirmed Landau, 55 and with no previous diplomatic experience, one of a long list of President Donald Trump’s nominees approved for their positions before lawmakers leave Washington for their annual August recess.
Landau is actually partner of the Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP law firm. He is son of a former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, Paraguay, and Chile, is fluent in Spanish and promised in May, months before his ratification as ambassador, to seek the common good with the Mexican people.
Before the U.S. Committee on Foreign Relations, Christopher Landau said, “I can’t think of a greater honor or privilege than the opportunity to represent our country in Mexico, and continue with the mission of my family of building bridges between the United States and Latin America. I grew up in the region and I’m fluent in Spanish. I focused on Latin American Studies before graduating, with the intention of joining Foreign Affairs.”
About his priorities, he said that “the first would be to protect American sovereignty and guarantee the implementation of law in the border. That, obviously, is a gigantic work that involves many agencies. My role, if I’m ratified, would be to promote the cooperation with Mexican authorities and the people. No country can solve the challenge of illegal immigration by itself, and I’m convinced that we can find common ground.”
There had not been a confirmed U.S. ambassador in Mexico City since May 5th, 2018, when career diplomat Roberta Jacobson resigned.
The Yucatan Times Newsroom with information from Notimex
