Felipe VI and the president of Mexico relax tensions after Ayuso's visit to the country

BarcelonaIn mid-March, positions between Mexico and Spain and its monarchy had significantly approached, but the trip by the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, last May seemed to have taken some steps backward in the relations between the two countries —Ayuso ignited relations when she praised the conqueror Hernán Cortés—. Early this morning, a meeting between King Felipe VI and the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, in Mexico has served to signal that bilateral relations between the two states are on the path to normalization.

"At the National Palace, we had a cordial meeting with the King of Spain, Felipe VI. We discussed the importance of indigenous peoples throughout history and the ties between Mexico and Spain. We agree to strengthen the bilateral relationship for the benefit of our nations," the Mexican leader stated in a message on social media. Felipe VI was also accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares.

The meeting took place three months after Felipe VI acknowledged "many abuses" by Spain in the conquest of America despite a supposed "desire for protection" by the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand. "We must learn lessons from this. There have been moral controversies about how power is exercised from day one," the monarch recounted in a statement that the Spanish royal house even shared on social media, despite the dialectical clash it caused with the narrative of the right and far-right in Spain. In fact, both the PP and Vox fully claim the conquest and even reproached Pope Francis for a harsh criticism he made of it.

The king's words received recognition from the Mexican president, who highlighted the "gesture". In this regard, the monarch has followed the line of the Spanish government, which had already acknowledged "injustices" during the conquest. These interventions have helped improve relations with Mexico, which have been in a delicate situation since 2019.

For seven years, the Central American country has been demanding that the Spanish state ask for "forgiveness" for the conquest, a plea that Andrés Manuel López Obrador already initiated. Sheinbaum has maintained her political line and announced on Thursday that in the meeting with the head of the Spanish state, she would address the importance of the indigenous peoples, those who suffered the consequences of colonization. The Spanish king has met with Sheinbaum on a trip that will include watching the Spanish national team's match against Uruguay in the Football World Cup, which is being held precisely in Mexico.