Mexico's government thanked US President Donald Trump on Tuesday and called him a "friend" for providing support to help the country tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard praised the US for having supplied Mexico with desperately needed ventilators to treat COVID-19 patients.

"Today we want to heartily thank the United States government, in particular President Trump because ... he made sure this happened," said Ebrard.

"And as the expression goes: it is when there is adversity that you come to know your friends and today ... the airplane he promised is arriving."

Mexico is receiving 211 ventilators worth between $16,000 and $24,000 each at a time when "we're at the peak" of the pandemic, Ebrard said.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said a planned meeting with Trump in June or July would be used to express solidarity with the US population and to thank them "for the help we received in confronting the pandemic."

It will also be an occasion to celebrate the adoption of a renewed trade deal signed between the two countries and Canada, due to go into effect on July 1.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2020

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