Spanish and International Leaders Meet in Barcelona

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez led a gathering of left-wing international leaders in Barcelona on Saturday to “protect and strengthen” democracy. The meeting also signals a warming of relations between Spain and Mexico.

The forum, called “In Defense of Democracy,” the fourth of its kind, takes place on the same day as a gathering of European far-right leaders in Milan, Italy, and is also attended by the President of the European Council Antonio Costa and heads of state from South Africa, Colombia, Uruguay, and Ireland.

The presence of Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico, in Catalonia carries symbolic weight, just weeks after King Felipe VI acknowledged “many abuses” during the Spanish conquest of America in the 16th century, a topic of tension between Madrid and Mexico for many months.

Upon her arrival for the meeting, Ms. Sheinbaum, making her first visit to Spain since taking office in October 2024, assured journalists that there was no “diplomatic crisis” between her country and Spain, and there never had been.

“I come from a people who recognize their origins in great indigenous cultures, those that were silenced, enslaved, and pillaged, but were never defeated, as there are memories that cannot be conquered and roots that are never torn out,” she declared at the meeting’s opening, adding that she wanted to propose a declaration “against a military intervention in Cuba.”

United Nations Reform

In opening the meeting, Spanish Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, one of Europe’s fiercest opponents of the ongoing war in the Middle East, expressed support for reforming the United Nations.

“We believe the time has come for the United Nations to be renewed, reformed, and, why not? led by a woman. This is not just a matter of justice, it is also a matter of credibility,” he declared.

“The context is clear: democracy cannot be taken for granted,” he also stated, characterizing the meeting as that of “a group of countries ready to do whatever is necessary to protect and strengthen the democratic system.”

Just as in Beijing a few days ago, the Spanish Prime Minister had already called on the followers of Lula on Friday to “renew” and “improve” the international multilateral system, in the face of those “who, either actively or passively, consider it dead or are working to undermine its foundations.”

This article was automatically generated. Sources: ats / blg / afp