Mexican President Sheinbaum meets Spanish PM Sanchez in Barcelona, mending diplomatic ties strained since 2019

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez held a meeting in Barcelona on Saturday, marking the first presidential visit from Mexico to Spain in eight years. The encounter signals a diplomatic rapprochement following years of strained relations that deteriorated under Sheinbaum's predecessor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. In 2019, Lopez Obrador demanded an apology from Spain for abuses committed during its colonial rule in Mexico, a request that went unfulfilled at the time. Sheinbaum's trip coincided with her attendance at the fourth "In defence of democracy" summit, a gathering of global leftist leaders aimed at mobilizing against far-right movements. During her meeting with Sanchez, Sheinbaum reiterated Mexico's position on the importance of acknowledging historical abuses from the colonial period in Latin America. She noted that both Sanchez and Spain's king have shown willingness to improve bilateral relations. The Mexican president extended an invitation to Sanchez to attend the fifth edition of the summit, scheduled to take place in Mexico next year. This diplomatic engagement represents a softening of tensions since the Morena party came to power in Mexico in 2018.