U.S. President Joe Biden, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meet Tuesday for a series of talks on immigration, trade and climate change in an attempt to ease tensions that have divided North America.
The three-way meeting is held almost every year, although there was a break during Donald Trump's presidency. It is often referred to as the "three amigos summit," a reference to the deep diplomatic and economic ties between the countries.
However, the leaders were still not finding the sync, especially in their efforts to manage a surge of migrants and go after smugglers who profit from convincing people to make the dangerous journey to the United States.
In addition, Canada and the United States accuse López Obrador of reneging on a free trade agreement to favor the state-owned electric company over power plants built by private and foreign investors.
The key points of the summit revolve around better ties between the three nations and the shared goal of a stronger North America in energy and, in particular, semiconductors, climate and a commitment to reduce methane emissions, an agreement to manage the large waves of migrants arriving in the region, and a more united regional strategy to address future pandemic-related health threats.
The centerpiece of the summit will be several hours of talks with the three leaders, although Biden was scheduled to begin the day with a bilateral meeting with Trudeau.