MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday he would like the Mexican central bank to not only focus on controlling inflation but also think about growth in Latin America's second-largest economy.
Lopez Obrador also told U.S. news agency Bloomberg in an interview that it was important to lower interest rates to encourage economic growth while reiterating that he respected the autonomy of the central bank.
"One thing is what is desirable and another thing is what is possible," he said. "I would like the Bank of Mexico to not only focus on controlling inflation but also think about growth."
Mexico's central bank has a single mandate of lowering inflation.
"We are talking about how in the Bank of Mexico they're watching inflation more, which isn't bad, but it is important to lower rates to encourage growth," Lopez Obrador said.
(Reporting by Mexico City Newsroom; Editing by Stefanie Eschenbacher)