(CNN Spanish) – Mexico's president-elect, Claudia Scheinbaum, confirmed in a statement published on her social networks that she had sent a diplomatic note to the inauguration ceremony, not to President Pedro Sánchez and King Felipe VI of the Spanish government.
Scheinbaum pointed out that the reason for inviting only Sánchez was the lack of a direct response to a letter sent by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to the Spanish king in 2019. Publicly expressing “acknowledgment of grievances” during victory.
At the time, the letter was leaked to the media and the Spanish Foreign Ministry issued a statement in which it regretted that the letter had been made public, but rejected its content “with all certainty”.
“The arrival of the Spanish to present-day Mexican lands, 500 years ago, cannot be determined in light of contemporary considerations,” the report said.
After winning the election, Scheinbaum said he agreed with his predecessor's request, although he favored maintaining relations with Spain. In a statement released Wednesday, Scheinbaum said the recognition of indigenous peoples will be fundamental during his government, and that he believes this situation will be a starting point for Mexico and Spain to “discover new paths of understanding based on sovereignty and foundation.” mutual respect.”
For its part, the Spanish government has announced that it will not send any representatives due to the exclusion of King Felipe VI from the list of people invited to Scheinbaum's inauguration this Tuesday.
In a brief release on the foreign ministry's website, officials indicated they would not participate “at any level” in the inauguration of Mexico's first president.
Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said that although Mexico is a fraternal nation, it is unacceptable for the king to be isolated.
“The head of state, the King of Spain, always goes to all inauguration ceremonies, so we cannot accept that he is excluded in this case. Therefore, if the head of state is excluded, Spain will not be represented, and we are very sorry because the Mexican people are a brotherly people,” Robles declared.
Before the incident with Spain, the presence of the presidents of Russia, Venezuela and Nicaragua at the inauguration caused controversy, but Sheinbaum's team calmed speculation when it released a list of leaders who confirmed their attendance, which did not include Vladimir Putin. , Nicolás Maduro or Daniel Ortega.
