US President Joe Biden will attend his second "virtual" summit with a foreign leader early next week when he meets his Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

"On Monday, March 1, President Joe Biden will meet with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Friday.

She added that the "virtual event" would touch on cooperation on migration, joint development efforts in Southern Mexico and Central America, Covid-19 recovery and economic cooperation.

The Mexican president's office for its part said the two leaders "will talk about the shared vision and objectives," including "cooperation mechanisms to address the structural causes of migration in northern Central America and southern Mexico."

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's office said he would talk with his US counterpart Joe Biden about their countries' "shared vision and objectives"
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's office said he would talk with his US counterpart Joe Biden about their countries' "shared vision and objectives" AFP / ALFREDO ESTRELLA

Migration has become a central issue in the relationship between Mexico and the United States, which share a 1,990-mile (3,200-kilometer) border.

Under Biden's predecessor, Republican Donald Trump, Mexico agreed - under the threat of tariffs being imposed - to keep thousands of people who applied for asylum in the United States on its own territory while their cases were processed.

Biden's first virtual meeting with another leader took place on Tuesday when he spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Biden reaffirmed the close US ties with Canada, which had been strained under Trump, while Trudeau called the friendship between the neighbors "extraordinary."

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