Text/photos by Robert Adams//
After three years as U.S. consul general in Merida, David Mico is moving on to a job at the U.S. embassy in Mexico City where he will “work on the bilateral (U.S.-Mexico) relationship and take advantage of the experience” of his stint in Yucatan.
Mico’s replacement has not been announced, but the diplomat revealed the new consul general is a woman who will arrive in Merida shortly after he departs June 25. Likewise, Mico declined to specify what his official job title and role will be at the embassy.
In an exclusive interview with Mid-Point at the Merida consulate, Mico reflected on his “wonderful three years” in Merida and expressed excitement about the challenges he will undertake at the U.S. embassy, where the ambassador post has been vacant since Roberta Jacobson resigned in May.
“I’m very happy to be going to the embassy, where I can use the tremendous experience I´ve gained on the bilateral relationship (in Merida),” said Mico, where his post entailed representing U.S. citizens and interests in Yucatan, Quintana Roo and Campeche.
The career diplomat, son of a American mother and Spanish father, is fully fluent in Spanish and several other languages and has served in a half-dozen other countries in Europe and Latin America.
Mico acknowledged he will arrive at the Mexico City embassy at a critical juncture for U.S.-Mexico relations, on the heels of announcements by both nations of import tariffs that are seen by some as an incipient trade war between the neighbors. But he views the U.S.-Mexico relationship as “vibrant,” as well as “rich and large.”
“With the multi-faceted complexity of the relationship, all kinds of positive things are taking place even as we debate issues that we don´t see eye-to-eye on,” he observed.
As examples of these “positives,” Mico cited continuing import-export relations and on-going exchanges among U.S. and Mexico universities and schools.
The diplomat said he hopes a new U.S. ambassador is nominated soon by President Donald Trump, while acknowledging the confirmation process in the U.S. Senate could drag on for months.
In the meantime, the embassy continues to function under the direction of William H. Duncan, chargé d’affaires.
Regarding the Mexican presidential elections on July 1, in which leftist candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador holds a wide lead in pre-ballot polls, Mico commented: “We are watching the process, like everyone. And we are ready to keep working after the election. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a democratic process.”
Mico expressed gratitude to the Yucatecan community, both expatriates and Mexicans, who received him and his family “with open arms.”
But he said he is looking forward to relocating to Mexico City, visiting other parts of Mexico and “experiencing the richness of this country.”
–Robert Adams
