Presently Belize and the Mexican state of Quintana Roo have a relationship sealed by the almighty dollar but now movers in culture are trying to make it more than that. Hundreds of Mexicans flood the Corozal Free Zone everyday to shop and on weekends hundreds of Belizeans flee across the Chetumal border to shop. But both sides say there can be more to the relationship than just the commerce. A new bridge will be completed next year at the border and there are opportunities for Belizean teachers and students to be trained in Quintana Roo and vice versa in Belize.
Last Friday, Minister of Investment and Culture Mark Espat met with Quintana Roo's Governor Arturo Felix Gonzalez Canto in Chetumal. Today the City's Secretary of Education and Culture Jose Luis Pech led a delegation to Belize. The delegation toured the House of Culture and the Bliss Center and after he told us that the two countries are joined at the hip.
Jose Luis Pech, Secy. of Education - Quintana Roo
"Both of our countries have many similarities and we have found, in Chetumal particularly, that if Belize goes well, we go well. What we have to do is make it a win-win situation, everybody can win. It's very easy to do it because we have many similarities and the people of Chetumal have relatives in Belize and also, many people of Belize have relatives in Mexico. So I think that with the help of Mr. Espat, we're going to work very hard on the issues of economic development and also on the issues of education and culture."
Hon. Mark Espat, Minister of Investment and Culture
"In the meeting with Governor Gonzalez, along with Secretary Pech last Friday evening in Chetumal, and with this visit, we are seeing an enhanced dialogue and we hope that at the end of the day there'll be improvement in commerce, investment, and of course cultural exchanges to the benefit of Quintana Roo and the country of Belize."
