The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaumannounced this Friday that on April 18 he will travel to Barcelona to attend the summit of progressive governments, which will also be attended by the presidents of Colombia, Gustavo Petro; Brazil; Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvaand the host, Pedro SanchezPresident of the Government. “I’m going to go to Barcelona. On the 18th (April), next week,” the Mexican president explained during her morning press conference.
The visit will take place in full relaxation in the bilateral relations between Mexico and Spainwhich were soured by the Mexican Government’s demand from the Spanish Crown for an apology for the grievances suffered by the Mexican population during the Spanish conquest of America, and the clash was exacerbated by Sheinbaum’s decision not to invite King Felipe VI to his inauguration. As a gesture of rapprochement, a few weeks ago, the monarch recognized “a lot of abuse and ethical controversies” in that historical period and called for deepening the historical and political dialogue between both nations.
The president of Mexico has explained that the “original idea” of the progressive summit came from the former president of Chile Gabriel Boricand announced that the leaders of Colombia, Brazil, Spain and Uruguay will be present. Yamandú Orsi. “I was invited and yesterday I made the decision that we were going to go, that is, on the 18th (April). In reality, we go one day and come the next so we can be in Barcelona on the 18th,” she said. This will be the first time that Sheinbaum visits Spain as president of Mexico after assuming power in October 2024.
The president has defended on several occasions the need for forgiveness promoted since 2019 by the then president, Andrés Manuel López Obradorremembering the Mexican tradition of solidarity with Spain, especially during the civil war and exile caused by Francoism. Given the lack of response from Madrid, Sheinbaum did not invite King Felipe VI to his investiture in 2024, which caused the Spanish Government to not send any representative to the event, in an unprecedented event, and generated a diplomatic crisis between both countries.
Last month, King Felipe VI recognized that in the conquest of America there was “a lot of abuse and ethical controversies”, which Sheinbaum valued as a “gesture of rapprochement” by the Spanish head of state, although he added that “we must continue working” on the process of historical recognition. Likewise, the Mexican president has invited the Spanish monarch to attend the soccer world cup which will be held in Mexico, the United States and Canada from June 11 to July 19. The Spanish team will play a match in its group stage in the Mexican city of Guadalajara on June 27 against Uruguay.
