On the year 2015, the Mexican and German governments created a binational commission dedicated to foster collaboration between both nations. As a result of this project, the “Mexico-Germany Dual Year” program was developed.

The program came to fruition following Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s trip to Germany on April 2016 and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s subsequent visit to Mexico on June 2016.

The dual-year initiative, which started in 2016 and will conclude in 2017, serves as a means of promoting Mexican culture within Germany and vice versa. The project, which will consist of multiple cultural exchanges and political dialogue, will focus on 3 main topics: trade, investment and tourism; education, science and innovation; art and creative industries.

In the words of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto: “Mexico is a country with a rich culture, and we are deeply proud of our history and the ancient legacy of our ancestors.” It is with this pride, and through the inauguration of the “Mayan, the language of beauty” exhibition in Berlin last year, that the Mexican President celebrated the Mexico-Germany partnership.

As former German President Joachim Gauk very eloquently stated: “For cultural exchange, it is always important to strengthen and contribute to a better understanding of the populations of the respective countries.” And what a better way to prove the strength of 137 years of Mexico-Germany diplomatic relations than by committing to an inter-cultural exchange program in the long term.

• http://dualyear.mx/agenda http://dualyear.mx/agenda
• https://embamex.sre.gob.mx/alemania/index.php/es/ano-dual/acerca-de https://embamex.sre.gob.mx/alemania/index.php/es/ano-dual/acerca-de
• http://www.gob.mx/sre/articulos/mexico-germany-dual-year-2016-2017 http://www.gob.mx/sre/articulos/mexico-germany-dual-year-2016-2017

News from Berlin
Raquel Alberto de la Fuente, Berlin Global