The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbauminsisted this Wednesday on the need for a public apology from Spain for the Conquestsince he considers that apologizing is something that “enlarges” governments, while ensuring that the bilateral relationship continues to be “good” regardless of this issue.
During his first “morning” press conference after taking office this Tuesday, Sheinbaum discussed the letter that his predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, had sent to Felipe VI asking for an apology for the “wrongs” committed during the Conquest and that, as indicated last week, motivated me not to invite the monarch at the opening ceremony.
What López Obrador proposed was “to agree on a public apology for the atrocities committed during the Spanish conquest,” but “The king does not respond to the letter“, emphasized Sheinbaum, emphasizing that “this was a private letter that had to be answered with a private letter, even if he had not accepted.” “The problem here is that not only does he not does not respond, but that this letter is made public and then comes a formidable campaign against Mexico“, he denounced.
Faced with this position, added the Mexican president, “we say that the public apologies against atrocities of the past magnifies people, magnifies governments, it’s not about sweeping an event like this under the rug, but saying that it happened and we don’t want it to happen again, like the case of October 2, 1968.
Sheinbaum referred to the public apology that his Interior Secretary, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, presented on behalf of the Mexican state to “all people who lost a loved one or to those who were victims of the crimes committed” in what is known as ‘Massacre of Tlatelolco” at the hands of security forces during a student demonstration.
That said, the Mexican president assured that the relationship with Spain, “is goodmust not change”, although he made clear that his government will “always defend” its position that it must apologize. “First we think it must reconsider,” he added, recalling that other European countries or the Vatican ” “They have issued public apologies.” “It is important to continue to maintain this position and we will maintain it,” he stressed.
