Spain and Mexico seal diplomatic thaw with 'important step' on bilateral cooperation
Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and Mexico's Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente have signed a joint declaration ending three years of diplomatic frost. The document follows the first high-level meeting after the controversy over royal-family-linked colonial-era letters that froze ties in 2022.
At their Madrid meeting on Monday, Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and Mexico's new Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente held the first high-level bilateral talks since 2022. The two ministers signed a four-point joint declaration relaunching the economic partnership, covering a joint investment commission, restoration of cultural exchange programmes, diplomatic visa facilitation, and technical cooperation on migration management.
Relations froze in 2022 after Mexico's former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador publicly released a letter demanding a formal apology from the Spanish Royal Family for the colonial era. Current Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has signalled a willingness to turn the page; over the weekend, she held a private audience with King Felipe VI in Madrid. The palace described the meeting as « warm and constructive ».
The economic stakes are significant. Spain is Mexico's third-largest investor within the EU, with Telefónica, BBVA and Iberdrola holding combined assets of more than €32 billion. During the freeze, BBVA's Mexican bank merger and Iberdrola's renewable-energy tenders had stalled. Albares said at Tuesday's press conference « this is just the beginning, we will build a deeper partnership ». De la Fuente announced he would host Albares for a return visit in Mexico City in September.
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