In interview with The CountryPedro Sánchez proposed a new beginning in the relationship with Mexico, with respect, dialogue and willingness to understand.
Mexico City, November 9 (However).- The President español, Pedro Sánchezassured that the normalization of relations with Mexico It is a priority for his administration and he considered it necessary to recognize the “chiaroscuros” of the past to strengthen ties between both nations.
In interview with The Countrythe Spanish president highlighted that his government seeks to “continue building these relations on much more solid bases,” after several years of political tension marked by the demand for an apology for the Conquest of the former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO)the lack of response from Madrid and the exclusion of king Philip VI of the taking possession of the President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.
“We are in a moment in which diplomacy demands, needs, a certain discretion. But I can guarantee that for Spain the normalization of our relations with a country that we consider very close in all dimensions is a priority,” declared Sánchez.
The President also recalled the support that Mexico provided to the Spanish Republican exile during the Civil War: “I have always conveyed to Mexican officials that the government of Spain, in this long and deep historical relationship that we have, has claimed the lights. For example, when President Lázaro Cárdenas sent ships to welcome and protect the exiles.”
Spain is and will continue to be next to Latin America and the Caribbean.
In an uncertain world, we strengthen the EU–CELAC alliance to promote cooperation, multilateralism and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic.
A key strategic relationship for stability and… pic.twitter.com/Tp3WPucUEa
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) November 9, 2025
Sánchez insisted that his government seeks to overcome recent disagreements, and strengthen a relationship based on respect and cooperation: “Indeed, we have chiaroscuros in our history and it is good to recognize those chiaroscuros to understand each other better.”
The new approach marks the attempt of both governments to overcome recent friction and recover the relationship of trust that has historically united them.
The gesture of Albares
Sánchez’s statements came after the gesture of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, who on October 31 recognized the “pain and injustices” suffered by the indigenous peoples of Mexico during the Conquest and expressed his “deep regret” during the inauguration of the exhibition “Half of the world. Women in indigenous Mexico”, in Madrid.
“Like every human story, it has chiaroscuro. There has been pain and injustice towards the indigenous peoples. There was injustice, it is fair to recognize it and regret it. That is part of our shared history, we cannot deny it or forget it,” said the Minister.
The exhibition that we inaugurate today in @InstCervantes It goes beyond the artistic.
We proudly recover the voice and importance of the indigenous women of Mexico.
It brings us even closer to the brother Mexican people that all Spaniards carry in their hearts. pic.twitter.com/MkBYNIO7Vy
— José Manuel Albares (@jmalbares) October 31, 2025
The exhibition, made up of more than 400 pieces of pre-Columbian art, was organized with the support of the Government of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who also wrote the prologue to the catalog and provided works from different native cultures – Mexica, Mayan, Zapotec, Mixtec, Olmec, Huastec and Teotihuacan – to be presented in four venues in the Spanish capital.
Sheinbaum’s response
President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo celebrated the words of the Spanish Chancellor, which she described as “a first step” towards historical recognition and mutual understanding.
“Forgiveness magnifies governments and people, it is not humiliating. On the contrary, recognizing history, recognizing grievances, asking for forgiveness or regret and recovering it as part of history magnifies governments and people. So congratulations for this first step by the Chancellor of the Spanish government in the recognition, particularly in this year, of indigenous women,” he commented.
Sheinbaum Pardo assured that relations with Spain are not broken and that the gesture opens the door for a new stage: “There does not have to be reconciliation. We ask for forgiveness. It seems to me that carrying this exhibition and this first statement from the Spanish Chancellor opens, is a first step and has to continue. Now, relations with Spain are not broken by any means; there is a commercial relationship, there is a cultural relationship.”
He also resumed the request for forgiveness raised during the previous Government. “It is part of the narrative that the decisions of our Government come from somewhere else, from President López Obrador, and it is obvious that they do not. When I told him that I would not invite the king, he told me: ‘You do not need to incorporate them into the Government, you are just starting’. I did it out of conviction,” he explained.
“It is a living history today. If the Fourth Transformation has brought anything, it is the recognition of the dignity of the people of Mexico, which comes from our history. It is not a rhetorical matter, the indigenous peoples represent the cultural greatness of Mexico,” Sheinbaum stressed.
The Spanish right reacts
@sinembargomx Will Spain ask for forgiveness? ¬ The Government of that country gives a gesture to Mexico. TheJournalists
Albares’ recognition unleashed a strong reaction from the Spanish right. The advisor to the Presidency and spokesperson for the government of the Community of Madrid, Miguel Ángel García Martín, demanded his resignation, considering him “the worst Foreign Minister that Spain has ever had.”
“Minister Albares is a disastrous representative who does not know the history or the alliance of Spain with Latin America. We do not deserve a government that discredits our country, that whenever it has the opportunity to speak badly of what Spain has been and its history,” García Martín said before local media.
The criticism was added to the position of conservative sectors that rejected any gesture of recognition towards Mexico or the indigenous peoples, considering them an “unfair revision” of the colonial past.