By Emily Green, David Ljunggren and Stephen Eisenhammer MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Prime Minister Mark Carney is scrambling to save his country's relationship with Mexico after it disintegrated late last year when Canadian officials suggested they'd be better off negotiating a trade deal with the Trump administration alone.

"There's a historic reluctance by Canada to engage seriously with Mexico," said Carleton University professor Laura Macdonald. "And there's a tendency for them to fail when they try to work together."

Mexico’s president hosted senior Canadian ministers for talks after both countries were hit with new tariff threats last week.