MEXICO CITY, April 23 (Reuters) - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday she will propose economist Roberto Lazzeri as the country's next ambassador to the United States, opting to change the head of Mexico's most important diplomatic post amid a high-stakes review of North America's trade pact.
Lazzeri, whose appointment needs Senate approval, would replace current ambassador Esteban Moctezuma, who was chosen by former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and held the post since 2021.
"He worked for a long time in the finance ministry," Sheinbaum said of Lazzeri during her regular morning press conference. "He has a very good relationship with the whole Mexican government and also with U.S. counterparts."
The move to appoint Lazzeri, the head of two of Mexico's top development banks, Nafin and Bancomext, and who has also overseen public debt for the federal government, comes as talks ramp up to review the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact.
Mexico, which sends some 80% of its exports to the United States, is desperate to carve out some relief from the wide-ranging tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump last year. It is also hoping to lock in some certainty on U.S.-Mexican trade as the whipsaw nature of Trump's imposition of duties on the United States' largest trading partner has hit investor confidence in Mexico.
On Wednesday, Mexico's Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard acknowledged that tariffs on the country's automotive, steel and aluminum sectors are likely to remain in place, regardless of whether a trade deal with the U.S. and Canada is renewed.
(Reporting by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez and Raul Cortes; Editing by Sarah Morland, Daina Beth Solomon and Bill Berkrot)
