MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Sunday said improving ties with Mexico is a priority for his government after years of diplomatic tensions over Spain’s colonial past.
Sanchez acknowledged the “light and shadow” in their shared history during an interview with El Pais daily, stressing that recognizing both is key to building stronger relations.
“I can guarantee that for Spain, normalizing our relations with a country we consider very close is a priority,” he said.
The prime minister highlighted Mexico’s support for Spanish exiles after the 1936-39 civil war, noting the historic and cultural bonds between the two nations.
Relations have been strained in recent years due to calls by Mexican leaders for an official apology from Spain for colonial-era abuses.
In 2019, then-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sent a letter to Spain’s King Felipe VI demanding an apology for the abuses committed during the 1519-1521 Spanish conquest of Mexico and the ensuing three centuries of colonial rule.
Spain rejected the request while the king did not respond publicly.
The issue resurfaced last month when Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum renewed calls for an official apology.
In response, Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares acknowledged the “pain and injustice” inflicted on Indigenous peoples during the Spanish conquest of the Americas.
“There was injustice — it is only fair to recognize it today, and fair to regret it. Because that is also part of our shared history, and we cannot deny or forget it,” he added.
Mesoamerica, a region that comprised parts of Mexico and Central America, had an estimated population of 15 million to 30 million people when conquistador Hernan Cortes arrived with an army of several hundred men, bringing horses, swords, guns — and smallpox — in 1519.
After a century of battles, massacres and plagues, only an estimated one million to two million Indigenous inhabitants remained.
Spanish PM calls for stronger ties with Mexico after colonialism row
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Spanish PM calls for stronger ties with Mexico after colonialism row
- Relations have been strained in recent years due to calls by Mexican leaders for an official apology from Spain for colonial era abuses
Pakistan killed over 80 militants in strikes on TTP camps in Afghanistan — official
- Saturday’s airstrikes followed a series of attacks inside Pakistan amid a surge in militancy
- The Afghan Taliban authorities accuse Pakistani forces of killing civilians in the airstrikes
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghanistan destroyed seven Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) camps and killed over 80 militants, a Pakistani security official said on Sunday, with the Afghan Taliban accusing Pakistani forces of killing civilians in the assault.
Saturday’s airstrikes followed a series of attacks inside Pakistan amid a surge in militancy. Authorities say the attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, were carried out by the TTP and allied groups that Islamabad alleges are operating from sanctuaries in Afghanistan. Kabul denies this.
According to Pakistan’s information ministry, recent incidents included a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad, separate attacks in Bajaur and Bannu, and another recent incident in Bannu during the holy month of Ramadan, which started earlier this week. The government said it had “conclusive evidence” linking the attacks to militants directed by leadership based in Afghanistan.
“Last night, Pakistan’s intelligence-based air strikes destroyed seven centers of Fitna Al-Khawarij TTP in three provinces of Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost, in which more than eighty Khawarij (TTP militants) have been confirmed killed, while more are expected,” a Pakistani security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Arab News.
An earlier statement from Pakistan’s information ministry said the targets included a camp of a Daesh regional affiliate, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), which claimed a suicide bombing at an Islamabad Shiite mosque that killed 32 people this month.
In an X post, Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces had violated Afghan territory.
“Pakistani special military circles have once again trespassed into Afghan territory,” Mujahid said. “Last night, they bombed our civilian compatriots in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, martyring and wounding dozens of people, including women and children.”
The Afghan Taliban’s claims of civilian casualties could not be independently verified. Pakistan did not immediately comment on the allegation that civilians had been killed in the strikes.
In a post on X, Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said it had summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affaires to Afghanistan Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani and lodged protest through a formal démarche in response to the Pakistani military strikes.
“IEA-MoFA (The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs) vehemently condemns the violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and the targeting of civilians, describing it as a flagrant breach of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity & a provocative action,” it said in a statement.
“The Pakistani side was also categorically informed that safeguarding Afghanistan’s territorial integrity is the religious responsibility of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan; henceforth, the responsibility for any adverse consequences of such actions will rest with the opposing side.”
Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have escalated since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan says cross-border militant attacks have increased since then and has accused the Taliban of failing to honor commitments under the 2020 Doha Agreement to prevent Afghan soil from being used for attacks against other countries. The Taliban deny allowing such activity and have previously rejected similar accusations.
Saturday’s exchange of accusations marks one of the most direct confrontations between the two neighbors in recent months and risks further straining already fragile ties along the volatile border.
