• Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has softened his stance in an energy dispute with the United States.
• He says Washington has taken a more accommodative stance.
• Energy dispute was not on the agenda for what is referred to as the U.S.-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador On Monday, softened his stance in a dispute with the United States over his government’s energy policy, claiming that Washington had taken a more accommodative stance.

He spoke on the same day that senior American officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, were scheduled to meet with Mexican officials in Mexico City to discuss economic cooperation.

The U.S. Trade Representative demanded negotiations with Mexico in July, claiming Lopez Obrador’s efforts to increase state control over the energy market were unfair to Mexican businesses and possibly in violation of a regional trade agreement.

At the time, Lopez Obrador defiantly replied, saying he would defend Mexico’s position at an independence day military parade taking place this coming Friday. Lopez Obrador has framed his energy policy as a matter of national sovereignty.

However, he declared on Monday that he would no longer bring up the energy dispute in his speech on Friday because U.S. President Joe Biden had positively addressed his concerns.

“There is a shift in the tone. There is an attitude of respect. It’s a declaration of respect for our country’s sovereignty instead “During a routine news conference, Lopez Obrador mentioned a letter he claimed to have received from Biden.

The energy dispute was not on the agenda for what is referred to as the U.S.-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue, according to Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard last week. During his stay, Lopez Obrador was scheduled to meet Blinken.