Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said there was 'no diplomatic crisis' with Spain after years of frosty relations over the conquest of the Central American nation. 'There is no diplomatic crisis. There never has been. What is very important is that we recognise the strength of our country's indigenous peoples,' she said as she arrived at a summit of left-leaning leaders in Barcelona on Saturday. Spain's colonisation of Mexico has become a thorny issue in recent years, prompting calls for an apology and an apparent diplomatic snub. ...
The summit, which seeks to address a rise in illiberalism, comes as far-right leaders met in Italy for a rally against immigration and EU bureaucracy. Sheinbaum's comments came moments before she met the Barcelona summit's co-chair, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who did not comment on the state of his nation's relations with Mexico. However, Spain's economy minister was quoted by news agency Reuters as saying that Sheinbaum's presence was 'a very important and positive sign of a rapprochement between the two countries.'
Her visit is the first by a Mexican president in eight years, as relations had deteriorated in 2019 when Sheinbaum's predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, demanded that Spain apologise for human rights violations during its conquest. Recently, there have been signs that relations have begun to thaw, including comments from King Felipe acknowledging past abuses during the colonial era.
The summit, which seeks to address a rise in illiberalism, comes as far-right leaders met in Italy for a rally against immigration and EU bureaucracy. Sheinbaum's comments came moments before she met the Barcelona summit's co-chair, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who did not comment on the state of his nation's relations with Mexico. However, Spain's economy minister was quoted by news agency Reuters as saying that Sheinbaum's presence was 'a very important and positive sign of a rapprochement between the two countries.'
Her visit is the first by a Mexican president in eight years, as relations had deteriorated in 2019 when Sheinbaum's predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, demanded that Spain apologise for human rights violations during its conquest. Recently, there have been signs that relations have begun to thaw, including comments from King Felipe acknowledging past abuses during the colonial era.
