Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez have met in Barcelona, marking a notable step toward rebuilding relations between the two countries during the first visit by a Mexican president to Spain in eight years.
The meeting took place on Saturday during Sheinbaum’s visit to attend the fourth “In defence of democracy” summit, which brought together progressive global leaders aimed at strengthening left-wing political movements in response to the far right.
Sheinbaum’s trip represents a softening of previously strained relations and the first visit by a Mexican president to Spain since the Morena party came to power in 2018.
Tensions between the two countries worsened under former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who in 2019 demanded an apology for abuses committed during Spain’s colonial rule in Mexico. That request was not fulfilled at the time.
Speaking to reporters after the event, Sheinbaum said there had been “a rapprochement” from both Prime Minister Sánchez and King Felipe VI, while reiterating Mexico’s position on the importance of acknowledging historical abuses during the colonisation of Latin America.
She also invited Sánchez to attend the fifth edition of the summit, which is expected to take place in Mexico next year.
Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo welcomed Sheinbaum’s presence at the Barcelona summit, describing it as a “very important and positive sign” of improved relations. He highlighted opportunities to strengthen cooperation in areas including energy, infrastructure, and financial services.
Sheinbaum, for her part, thanked Sánchez for the invitation and stated that “there is no diplomatic crisis with Spain; there never has been one.”
As part of the diplomatic thaw, Mexico last month invited King Felipe VI to attend the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Cup. The move followed Sheinbaum’s decision not to invite the monarch to her inauguration last year.
King Felipe VI has also recently acknowledged historical abuses during Spain’s colonial past, marking a shift from his earlier refusal to issue an apology.
Spain’s empire, which spanned from the 16th to the 18th century, extended across five continents, including large parts of Latin America, where colonial rule involved forced labour, land seizure, and violence against Indigenous populations.
