As part of his recent concert tour in Mexico, U2 musician and global humanitarian Bono met with President Felipe Calderon to discuss drug violence and poverty affecting Mexico. Mexico’s president thanked Bono for sending a message to victims of drug violence during his concert on Wednesday. Calderon and Bono also discussed global warming and Mexico’s opportunities as the host of the G-20 reunion in 2012.

Later, at a concert attended by President Calderon, Bono told concertgoers, “Mexico, you are not defined by the violence, you are defined by your humanity and humility.”

In a separate speech during the concert, Bono also spoke about the shared responsibility of the United States to address gun violence in Mexico. Bono asked: “Why is it that all we hear on the news is that drugs are smuggled through Mexico to the United States, and we don’t hear about all the automatic weapons that are being smuggled into Mexico from the United States? 9,000 registered arms dealers on the other side of the border. Most of the murders committed here are from weapons sold in the United States of America.”