The mayors of San Diego and Tijuana met with business leaders of both sides of the border to highlight the importance of the mega-region’s strong economic and cultural ties.

The closed-door meeting took place at the San Diego Mayor’s Office in downtown, on Monday, February 6.

Some of the business leaders present there were the President and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Jerry Sanders, Executive Director of World Trade Center San Diego Nikia Clarke, President of Tijuana Business Development Council Humberto Jaramillo, and Secretary of Economic Development of the City of Tijuana David Moreno.

After the meeting, the participants offered a press conference to the international and local media.

“Our proximity to Mexico is one of our greatest strengths,” Faulconer said at the press conference. “With its innovative culture, Tijuana is a marketplace were we can enjoy access to trading partners that other regions only dream about. It’s a cooperative advantage that puts San Diego head and shoulders above the rest.”

The Agreement of Mutual Understanding signed in 2014 between Mayor Faulconer and then Tijuana Mayor Jorge Astiazaran was discussed during the closed-door meeting, according to Mayor Faulconer. The Agreement of Mutual Understanding was the first formal agreement between the cities since 1994, the year NAFTA went into effect. The agreement was intended to help improve the shared economy, strengthen the border infrastructure, enhance the global tourist industries, and keep people safe on both sides of the border. The agreement also paved the way for the department director’s of both local governments to meet on different occasions to improve the binational relationship. As a result of those meetings, cultural exhibits highlighting Tijuana were held at San Diego libraries, as well as a promotion of the mega-region.

The former agreement will be revised and a new agreement is expected to be sign between Mayor Faulconer and Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum, who took office on December 1, 2016.

“We are revising the document that was signed by the former mayor of Tijuana so we can resume [the agreement],” Gastelum said. “We need to strengthen and improve our binational relationship with this document.”

The new agreement is expected to be sign on the next few weeks.

“We share the same air, ocean, and similar history. The people that call our cities home want a safe place for their families, and we want opportunities to succeed,” Faulconer added. “We need to tell our story or others will tell it for us. Together we are continuing to work to write the next chapter on our story.

“We can’t control what happens outside our cities, but I know this, we will continue with our story of collaboration, friendship, and we will continue to work together for the prosperity of our people,” Faulconer closed.