Rocky Point was the location in 2017 for an annual meeting that strengthens the connection between the states on either side of the international border. 
A recent meeting in Hermosillo, Sonora Mexico brought together members of both the Arizona-Mexico Commission as well as Sonora-Arizona Commission. This annual plenary session sets out agreements between the parties for the up coming year, intended to strengthen the concept of a ‘Mega-Region’ between the two states. Joint initiatives highlight the strengths as well as needs present on both sides of the border.
It was an opportunity as well for the Governor of Sonora, Claudia Pavlovich, and Arizonas Governor Doug Ducey to meet and establish high level goals for 2019. This comes at a time when the US, Mexico, as well as Canada have signed the USMCA agreement that replaces the existing NAFTA treaty.
Three major agreements signed by the Governors at this years sessions included . . .

  • Establishment of a Commercial Safety Corridor between Nogales and the Mexican port city of Guaymas. Rocky Point has, for the last year, been the focus for developing a new Safety Corridor meant to improve emergency response times, and improve security on the well travelled route between Southern Arizona and Peñasco. The Corridor from Nogales to Guaymas will facilitate the flow of commercial traffic through the busy port of entry at the Nogales border crossing.
  • More formalized coordination of emergency ambulance transfers between the two states.
  • A move to support young people becoming involved in the STEM fields through the appointment of Chief Science Officers.

Arizona’s Governor Ducey had a busy three days in Mexico. Along with participating in the Arizona Sonora meeting, he was on hand for the inauguration of Mexico’s new President Andrés Manuel Lopéz Obrador.