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López Obrador affirms that the relationship with Spain is still "on pause": "There is no attitude of respect"

2022-12-16T18:36:03.852Z


The president ignores the diplomatic relaunch announced just a day earlier during the visit to Mexico of the Spanish Foreign Minister and charges against the King, the Sánchez government and the transnationals


Relations between Mexico and Spain are still "on pause."

This was confirmed by the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, at his press conference this Friday.

The president has once again put his finger on the wound and has attacked King Felipe VI, the Government of Pedro Sánchez and the "looting" of Spanish transnationals.

"They continue to pause because there has not been an attitude of respect on their part," he assured.

López Obrador's statements came a day after the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, led an official visit to Mexico and announced, together with his Mexican counterpart, Marcelo Ebrard, a relaunch of bilateral relations.

"It is impossible to pause relations between Spain and Mexico because it is impossible to pause relations between two brothers," Albares said.

On Thursday, both countries boasted that their ties are in "excellent health."

Now, less than 24 hours later, the president's statements are once again triggering tensions.

López Obrador has complained that the King did not respond to the letters in which he asked the Spanish State to apologize for the abuses committed during the conquest and has accused him of "arrogance".

"He did not even have the attention to answer me," he claimed.

The president also sent a similar request to the Vatican as a result of the "extermination, repression and murders committed against the original peoples" and compared the reaction that Pope Francis had to that of the monarch of Spain.

"He answered all of them," he assured, about the letters sent in 2019. "They come out with that we have to thank them because they came to civilize us," he added.

Following criticism of the Monarchy, López Obrador has aired his differences with Sánchez, despite not explicitly naming him.

"We have a lot of affection and appreciation for the Spanish people, this is different," he pointed out.

"It is a lot of people for so little government," he added.

The trigger for the statements by the Mexican president was a question from the media about the residence permits that Spain has granted to former presidents Felipe Calderón and Enrique Peña Nieto, his last two predecessors in power, and the nationality of Carlos Salinas. de Gortari, who governed Mexico from 1988 to 1994. "Spain can give a visa to any citizen," he acknowledged.

At the same time, he has insinuated that the granting of the visas was due to the "privileges" that several Spanish companies received during their Administrations.

"They made a killing", he has assured about companies such as Repsol, Iberdrola and OHL.

Questioned by EL PAÍS about the visas for Calderón and Peña Nieto, Albares said at a press conference at the Mexican Foreign Ministry that Spain's decision was purely administrative and that it was not political or "discretionary."

“They have made a residency application like thousands of people do every year,” he said.

"The authorities neither prejudge nor fail to prejudge a situation," added the diplomat.

The most controversial case in Mexico is that of Peña Nieto.

In August, the Attorney General's Office announced three open investigations against the former president for money laundering, illicit enrichment, and irregular transfers abroad.

Calderón obtained residence in Spain thanks to the support of the foundation of former president José María Aznar, which has sponsored him with a contract as a teacher.

"It's normal," López Obrador ironized.

The president also charged against Aznar, whom he accused of promoting "structural reforms" or neoliberals in Latin America.

Aznar ridiculed in September last year the Mexican government's request for an apology about the conquest.

"But you, what's your name?" The former leader of the Popular Party then snapped.

“Andrés from the Aztecs, Manuel from the Mayans, López is a mix of Aztecs and Mayans… And Obrador, from Santander,” he said.

The tone of the statements by the President of Mexico clashes with the conciliatory atmosphere that prevailed on Thursday.

Last February, López Obrador made the first reference to a "pause" in bilateral relations for similar reasons.

From that moment on, Ebrard and Albares worked together to settle any misunderstanding.

The Spanish minister even traveled to Mexico in March and assured that relations were going to "accelerate", in clear response to the statements of the Latin American president.

This week's meeting also involved months of diplomatic work.

“It has been a great success,” said Ebrard, after the thirteenth edition of the Mexico-Spain Binational Commission, on Thursday.

The Foreign Minister even spoke that López Obrador had given his approval to start a new diplomatic stage and that he had "authorized" the meeting to take place: "He was very pleased that it took place."

In a sudden change, when all the differences seemed resolved, the president has reignited a new controversy with Spain.

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Source: elparis

All news articles on 2022-12-16

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