“The Spanish Government categorically rejects the unjustified statements of the President of Mexico.” The Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, has thus responded to the statements of the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, about the “pause” in relations between the two countries. López Obrador accuses Spanish companies of “plundering” his country.
The head of diplomacy, in any case, has referred to the last intervention of the president of Mexico: “He said that, of course, it was not a rupture or interruption. It is he who has to clarify what he thinks for a pause.”
“We are working for excellent relations with Mexico,” said Albares after a day of meetings in Brussels with NATO and the European Commission, “but yes, based on respect and, of course, without this type of demonstration.” The head of Spanish diplomacy has explained that he has spoken with his Mexican counterpart: “The president of Mexico has made it clear. The word pause does not lead to any kind of rupture of the diplomatic relationship. And if we look at the economic ones, since there was talk a lot of Spanish companies, what they indicate is that what governments must do is strengthen these relationships”.
Albares, in any case, has stated: “The Government of Spain will always defend, always and before anyone, the interests of the Spaniards, their companies and the honorability of Spain, of course”.
The Government, through a statement, has detailed in numbers the relations between Spain and Mexico: “More than 175,000 Spaniards live in Mexico and about 30,000 Mexicans reside in our country. Spain is the second investor in Mexico and has 7,000 companies in that Spanish investment rises above 70,000 million euros and Mexican investment in Spain exceeds 25,000 million”.
To what do you attribute the statements of the president of Mexico? “I am not going to go into speculation, it is a question for him”, Albares replied to the journalists: “The position of the Government of Spain is very clear. We categorically reject some statements that are completely unjustified. The Government of Spain has not made any action leading to the making of such a statement”.
Albares has insisted: “We are the second investor in that country, and there is a growing Mexican investment in Spain. In addition to those deep and historical ties, we share a common language… They do not justify this, but rather the opposite, that both governments let us accompany these extraordinary relations, which is what the Government of Spain wants. But it must also be made very clear that the Government of Spain is going to defend the Spaniards, the good name of Spain and its companies in any circumstance and against anyone”.
pause without break
The Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has clarified this Thursday that “there is no break” with Spain, but has insisted on a “pause” in relations between the two countries due to the abuses that he perceives from some Spanish companies in the past .
“What I said yesterday is ‘let’s go, for the good of our peoples, to have a break’. I didn’t talk about breaking up. to Mexico with impunity, that’s already happened, it’s a lack of respect”, he declared in his daily press conference.
The president has referred to the controversy that occurred this Wednesday when he proposed a “pause” in the relationship between Mexico and Spain. The Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, responded on Wednesday that the relationship with Mexico “is a strategic partnership that goes beyond sudden verbal declarations or specific words” and that “the Government of Spain has not taken any action that could justify a statement” like that.
But this Thursday López Obrador has again accused the “political power” of Spain of supporting companies that “abused Mexico”, among which he has mentioned Iberdrola, Repsol and OHL because, according to him, they were “favorites” of previous governments .
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