Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, Foreign Secretary Rosario Green of Mexico, and Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy of Canada met in New York on September 21 to review trilateral issues, promote closer cooperation, and discuss issues of common concern to the three countries of North America. This is the second such meeting of the ministers.

The Ministers issued a framework statement setting forth a vision of the emerging North American partnership, noting that the three governments "will support and promote new and existing cooperative efforts" and that they are "committed to working together to address trilateral, regional, and global issues where we share goals, interests and agendas."

The three Ministers also announced new measures to advance this special relationship, including the signature of a memorandum of understanding on development assistance cooperation, which was also signed on behalf of Maria Minna, Canadian Minister for International Cooperation. Under this memorandum, the governments will identify areas for coordination of activities and information sharing. They have agreed to consider cooperation in the water sector in Central America, especially in light of reconstruction efforts following Hurricane Mitch.

The ongoing trilateral discussions have also led to important and concrete advances on a host of trilateral issues. The Ministers reviewed the close cooperation that has taken place over the last year among our Y2K experts to address potential problems and are satisfied with the progress made. They discussed ways of engaging women's groups in the emerging trilateral relationship, the need for enhancing environmental cooperation, North American transport corridors, and expanding existing cultural and education exchange programs.

In addition, they agreed to collaborate on a conference of North American young professionals in Montreal in the spring of 2000.

The Ministers also discussed a range of current world affairs and ways in which common agendas, interests, and objectives could be pursued trilaterally or multilaterally. They agreed their representatives would consult frequently in the UN, OAS, and other regional and international fora.

Secretary Albright, Secretary Green, and Minister Axworthy have recognized that "our societies and cultures are coming together as never before." The permanent high-level dialogue between the three Ministers will continue to deepen and widen the engagement that exists between our three nations.