Puerto Rico Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Foreign and intergovernmental relations=== {{more citations needed section|date=November 2017}} {{main|Foreign and intergovernmental relations of Puerto Rico}} Puerto Rico is subject to the [[Commerce Clause|Commerce]] and [[Territorial Clause]] of the U.S. Constitution and is thus restricted on how it can engage with other nations, sharing the opportunities and limitations that state governments have albeit not being one. As is the case with state governments, it has established several trade agreements with other nations, particularly with Latin American countries such as Colombia and Panamá.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.elnuevodia.com/colombiaypuertoricosedanlamano-1556164.html |title=Colombia y Puerto Rico se dan la mano |date=20 July 2013 |access-date=11 August 2013 |language=es |newspaper=[[El Nuevo Día]] |archive-date=24 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130824132404/http://www.elnuevodia.com/colombiaypuertoricosedanlamano-1556164.html }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icesi.edu.co/blogs/paises/2013/07/23/puerto-rico/ |title=Relaciones comerciales entre Colombia y Puerto Rico |date=23 July 2013 |access-date=11 August 2013 |language=es |publisher=[[Universidad ICESI]] |archive-date=2 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002064317/http://www.icesi.edu.co/blogs/paises/2013/07/23/puerto-rico/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It has also established trade promotion offices in many foreign countries, all Spanish-speaking, and within the United States itself, which now include Spain, the Dominican Republic, [[Panama]], [[Colombia]], [[Washington, D.C.]], New York City and Florida, and has included in the past offices in [[Chile]], [[Costa Rica]], and [[Mexico]]. Such agreements require permission from the U.S. Department of State; most are simply allowed by existing laws or trade treaties between the United States and other nations which supersede trade agreements pursued by Puerto Rico and different U.S. states. Puerto Rico hosts [[Consul (representative)|consulates]] from 41 countries, mainly from the [[Americas]] and Europe, with most located in San Juan.<ref name="linktopr.com"/> At the local level, Puerto Rico established by law that the international relations which states and territories are allowed to engage must be handled by the [[Department of State of Puerto Rico]], an [[executive departments of the government of Puerto Rico|executive department]], headed by the [[Secretary of State of Puerto Rico|secretary of state of Puerto Rico]], who also serves as the unincorporated territory's lieutenant governor. It is also charged to liaise with general [[consul (representative)|consuls]] and [[honorary consul]]s based in Puerto Rico. The [[Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration]], along with the [[Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico|Office of the Resident Commissioner]], manages all its intergovernmental affairs before entities of or in the United States (including the federal government of the United States, local and state governments of the United States, and public or private entities in the United States). Both entities frequently assist the Department of State of Puerto Rico in engaging with Washington, D.C.-based ambassadors and federal agencies that handle Puerto Rico's foreign affairs, such as the U.S. Department of State, the [[Agency for International Development]], and others. The current secretary of state is [[Larry Seilhamer Rodríguez]] from the [[New Progressive Party (Puerto Rico)|New Progressive Party]], while the current [[List of Directors of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration|director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration]] is [[Jennifer M. Stopiran]] also from the NPP and a member of the Republican Party of the United States. The [[Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico|resident commissioner of Puerto Rico]], the [[delegate (United States Congress)|delegate]] elected by Puerto Ricans to represent them before the federal government, including the U.S. Congress, sits in the United States House of Representatives, serves and votes on congressional committees, and functions in every respect as a legislator except being denied a vote on the final disposition of legislation on the House floor. The current resident commissioner is [[Jenniffer González|Jenniffer González-Colón]], a Republican, elected in 2016. She received more votes than any other official elected in Puerto Rico that year.<ref name="wines19">{{cite news |last=Wines |first=Michael |title=She's Puerto Rico's Only Link to Washington. She Could Be Its Future Governor. |newspaper=New York Times |date=26 July 2019 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/26/us/Jenniffer-Gonzalez-Colon-puerto-rico.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726173211/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/26/us/Jenniffer-Gonzalez-Colon-puerto-rico.html |archive-date=2019-07-26 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |quote=She noted that her campaign to become resident commissioner garnered more votes in 2016 than any other candidate for office in the unincorporated territory.}}</ref> Many Puerto Ricans have served as United States ambassadors to different nations and international organizations, such as the [[Organization of American States]], mostly but not exclusively in Latin America. For example, Maricarmen Aponte, a Puerto Rican and now an acting assistant secretary of state, previously served as [[List of ambassadors of the United States to El Salvador|U.S. ambassador to El Salvador]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/148343.htm |title=Mari Carmen Aponte |website=State.gov |access-date=21 May 2019 |archive-date=21 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180521205719/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/148343.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page