AMLO: Mexico-Russia space agreement won’t be used for espionage

Mexico City, Oct 10 (EFE).- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador reiterated Monday that his administration has entered into a space agreement with Russia.

But he recalled that it was signed in September 2021, several months before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and denied that it will be used for espionage purposes.

“A scandal is being created because of talk that Mexico is allowing Russian satellites be used to spy on Mexican and North American air space,” the president known as AMLO said at his daily press conference at Mexico City’s National Palace.

“The fact is these agreements are signed with all the countries and their purpose is not to spy on anyone or affect the sovereignty of any nation.”

Lopez Obrador was commenting on a document published on the Russian government’s official legal information portal. In it, Russian President Vladimir Putin ratified a Russia-Mexico intergovernmental agreement on space research cooperation for peaceful ends.

The agreement specifically provides for the installation of Russian GLONASS systems – Russia’s equivalent of the US Global Positioning System (GPS) – and an electronic optical system for the prevention of dangerous space situations in Mexico, the document says.

Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Secretariat had acknowledged on Saturday that the agreements exists.

But it said it still has not entered into force and denied that it provides for the installation of Russian systems for the prevention of dangerous space situations in the country.

The secretariat added that this agreement is in addition to others Mexico has signed with the space agencies of countries such as Argentina, the United States, Hungary, Italy, Ukraine and Venezuela.

It said then that similar accords also are being negotiated with Japan, China and the European Space Agency.

Lopez Obrador reiterated Monday that Mexico maintains a neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine war and recalled that his government sent a peace proposal to the United Nations General Assembly in September.

“Mexico has a policy of neutrality, and what we want is a peaceful solution to that (conflict), as is established in our constitution,” he said.

He also predicted a lessening of the intensity of the Russia-Ukraine conflict after the November midterm elections in the US.

“I think things will improve a lot once the elections in the United States are over. I’m confident … I hope they don’t step up the aggression and that later things calm down and peace is achieved,” he said. EFE

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