The president of Mexico will visit Aberdeen today to strengthen links between the oil-rich Latin American country and the north-east.
Felipe Calderon will arrive in the Granite City as part of a state visit to the UK before the G20 summit to be held in London later this week.
Mr Calderon was welcomed to the UK yesterday by the Queen at Buckingham Palace and Gordon Brown at Downing Street.
They are travelling north today with the Duke of York and Scottish Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism Jim Mather.
They are visiting Aberdeen due to Mexico’s links with the North Sea energy industry, and visit BP’s new £60million HQ this morning.
Mr Calderon will then be met by Lord Provost Peter Stephen at Aberdeen’s Town House, where he will take in an exhibition featuring some of the major oil companies based in Aberdeen.
North-east companies and Aberdeen City Council have worked with Mexican businesses and it is hoped the visit will encourage greater business collaboration between the north-east and Mexico.
Mr Stephen said: “It is a great honour for the city that the president, Felipe Calderon, has included Aberdeen in his state visit to the UK.”
Aberdeen City Council leader Kate Dean said: “Today’s visit by the president of the world’s sixth-largest oil-producing country is a fantastic opportunity for City and Shire businesses.
“It affirms that Aberdeen is considered a leading centre of expertise and a model for countries and provinces worldwide.”
Last night, Mr Calderon and his wife were guests of the Queen at Buckingham Palace and a state banquet was held in their honour.
First course of the meal was halibut followed by a main course of beef fillet and vegetables, while the pudding was a yoghurt-based dessert filled with redcurrants from the Queen’s Balmoral estate on Deeside.
