Merida and Queretaro are positioned as leaders among economic, social and cultural capital cities in Mexico.
Accordingly, on Friday July 29 the mayor of Merida, Mauricio Vila Dosal, and the mayor of Queretaro, Marcos Aguilar Vega, signed an agreement aiming to promote the cooperation and collaboration of these two cities, in order to work together on the main issues that affect them both, such as trade, ecology, urban infrastructure, cultural and social affairs, among others.
Aguilar Vega said that with a population of around one million citizens each, Merida and Queretaro are two of the Mexican municipalities that have shown an outstanding development in recent decades.
“The purpose of this agreement is very clear: today Queretaro and Merida, two of the most advanced municipalities in all of Mexico, must unite and create a unique synergy that allows us to complement each other and achieve our common goals,” said the mayor of Querétaro.
The signing ceremony took place in the Hall of Presidency in the municipal palace of the City of Merida, and was attended by officials and businessmen from Merida and Queretaro.
Aguilar noted that whenever the names of Queretaro and Merida are mentioned, they are always related to security, good governance, order and cleanliness, as well as the richness of their cultural heritage, history and commitment to the future.
“Querétaro celebrated its 485 years of history on Monday July 25, while the city of Merida was founded only 11 years later, and both play a fundamental role in the history of our country, as they approach their five-hundredth anniversary at the peak of their development,” said mayor Aguilar Vega.
The Queretaro mayor congratulated Vila Dosal, for his successful decisions, and for the high efficiency of his government, that has improved the quality of life of its citizens.
“As you arrive in Mérida, you can immediately see that you are in a beautiful and clean city with high quality services, in one of the most transparent municipalities in Mexico. Also, Mérida was recently recognized by the Expenditure Budget Monitoring Council (Consejo para el Seguimiento del Presupuesto de Egresos), for involving the civil society in decision-making” Aguilar Vega said.
The mayor said that programs such as “Miércoles Ciudadano”, “Ayuntatel” and its mobile application, indicate that the Mérida municipal government listens to what the citizenship has to say, through advanced technological tools, and as a result Merida has been recognized among the first municipalities in the use of technology.
“The fact that a citizen can pay property taxes, report potholes, apply for a driver’s license, ask for help from a doctor or receive notary services through the Internet, is something extraordinary and shows a modern and efficient government” Aguilar Vega continued.
He also talked about projects carried out in the municipality of Querétaro, such as the “Central Corridor”, in which 14 municipalities in the states of Queretaro, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Aguascalientes, State of Mexico and Michoacan form an important industrial center.
“To have the support of entrepreneurs in Merida is part of the vocation of this project. The Yucatecan companies, which will invest in the ‘Central Corridor’, will find a unique pole of growth in the country,” the mayor of Querétaro added.
He also invited the people of Merida to participate in the event “Hay Festival” to be held in September, a four day cultural festival that will feature 80 writers, journalists and personalities (including two Nobel Prize winners).
Finally, Marcos Aguilar concluded: “with this agreement Merida and Queretaro want to build a model for a fair, prosperous and democratic municipality, to set an example on how to get things done the right way in Mexico”.
Source: http://yucatan.com.mx/