MEXICO CITY, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto met on Tuesday with the country's new ambassador to the United States Geronimo Gutierrez Fernandez, telling him to take actions to build new ties with the government of President Donald Trump.

A statement from the president's office said that the ambassador was told to above all "watch over the interests and the respecting of the rights of the Mexicans" in the United States.

Mexico and the United States are entering a tough phase in their ties as Trump determines to build a wall along the border and make Mexicans pay for it by applying a 20-percent tariff to imports from Mexico. Trump also wants to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Gutierrez Fernandez has extensive experience for his new mission.

He was Mexico's deputy foreign minister for North America from 2003 to 2006. He has also worked as the deputy foreign minister for Latin America and the Caribbean as well as undersecretary of the Interior Ministry.