Mexico announced that Kenneth Smith Ramos would be the nation's chief negotiator for the North American Free Trade Agreement talks set to begin later this month. Ramos will be Mexico's chief technical negotiator for the talks between the U.S., Mexico and Canada, according to Politico. Ramos was previously at the trade and NAFTA office of the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C. and will report to Mexico’s Economy Secretary and Foreign Trade Undersecretary. Officials from Mexico say that Ramos’s past work in Mexico’s agriculture department and economy ministry shows he has a “brilliant career in all foreign trade topics.” His first job with the Mexican government was on the negotiating team of the original NAFTA trade deal in 1993. Mexico says the first round of talks this month will likely lay the groundwork for the negotiating topics and schedule for the renegotiation effort.