Mexico City, September 26 (RHC)-- Mexico’s President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that she did not invite King Felipe VI of Spain to the inauguration ceremony that will take place on Tuesday, October 1st.
his decision was due to the fact that the Spanish monarch did not respond to a letter that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) sent him in March 2019, asking him, in light of the celebration of Mexico’s 200 years of independence, to publicly acknowledge the wrongs committed during the conquest. Sheinbaum criticized the lack of response, the leaking of the letter, and the response from the Spanish diplomacy, which “only issued a press release.”
“Unfortunately, that letter did not receive any direct response, as would have been appropriate according to the best diplomatic practices of bilateral relations. Instead, part of the letter was leaked to the media,” said the Mexican president-elect.
“So far, that situation has neither been clarified nor directly addressed by the Spanish government,” Sheinbaum added, revealing that she received a phone call from the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, to discuss the matter.
The text reads: “For those who romanticize colonization: the Spanish invasion occurred through all kinds of torture, including the bestialization of dogs so that they would eat the natives alive. On October 12th, there is nothing to celebrate.”
On Tuesday, Spain announced that it would not send any representative to her inauguration due to the exclusion of King Felipe VI from the invitation to the event, although Sanchez was invited to the inauguration.
Despite the circumstances, Sheinbaum acknowledged that “Mexico and Spain share a strong friendship, with important economic, tourism, and cultural ties,” recalling that the Latin American country “was a supportive ally and a generous destination for many Spanish Republicans” during the Spanish Civil War. Nevertheless, she insisted on the legitimacy of Mexico’s request that Spain publicly acknowledge the abuses committed against Indigenous peoples during colonization.
“Precisely for all these reasons, our relationship would benefit from a renewed historical perspective, aligned with the development of our nations, where a full recognition of our identities serves as the foundation for a respectful, strong, and fruitful relationship,” Sheinbaum emphasized.
