A new gambit by the president of Mexico against Spain. Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been firmly repeating for some time that the Spanish state must apologise for Spain's conquest of the territory that is now Mexico. He asserts that it is necessary to redress the harm done to the indigenous peoples of the Americas and their societies and that, therefore, Spain must apologise for the genocide that the invasion of the continent involved. With this context, and the Spanish state's failure to take any steps to resolve the situation, López Obrador has put on the table the idea of "taking a break" in relations between Mexico and Spain. According to him, this action would turn the page at a time when, according to the Mexican president, the Spanish authorities and companies have taken advantage of the American country.
"They were like the masters of Mexico," said López Obrador in this new move that follows a series of strong criticisms of Spain's attitude on the issue. The Mexican president said these words in a statement to the media in his country, in which he said that the "relationship" between Mexico and Spain "is not good." For this reason, he believes that a "pause" in the bilateral relationship "would be best" for both parties. "Maybe when the government changes, relations will be restored and I would wish that when [that government] is no longer there, the relations will not be as they were before," he added. He also said that Mexico has borne "the worst part" of the economic and political "promiscuity" in bilateral relations over recent decades. "They looted us," López Obrador told the media.
"We want to have a good relationship, but we don't want them to rob us," said López Obrador, adding that the Spanish government still sees Mexico as a "land of conquest." According to the Mexican president, the Spanish "pillage" not only took place hundreds of years ago when Spain invaded the American continent, but has also been maintained until now, through economic powers. "That's why it's better to take a break," he insisted.
This is not the first time that the Mexican president has spurned Spain over its passivity to the calls for the former imperial power to admit that it committed a genocide in American lands hundreds of years ago and that it must apologise. López Obrador demanded such a statement in 2021, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the conquest. On that occasion, he turned around the name of the colonial era, referring to it as "the indigenous resistance". But according to him, this violence continues to be perpetrated today through the economic sector. Specifically, he named companies in the energy and construction sectors that signed contracts with the Mexican administrations of Vicente Fox (2000-2006), Felipe Calderón (2006-2012) and Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018).