Sheinbaum Arrives in Barcelona — First Official International Trip and First Mexico-Spain Presidential Visit in 8 Years

President Claudia Sheinbaum arrived in Barcelona late on April 17 after a 14-hour journey with a stopover in Madrid, marking the first official international trip of her presidency and the first Mexican presidential visit to Spain since 2018. The visit formally ends the diplomatic chill between Mexico and Spain that began in 2019, when President López Obrador demanded a formal Spanish apology for colonial-era abuses — an estrangement that escalated to a full suspension of high-level relations in 2022 over energy sector corruption allegations involving the Iberdrola case. Upon arrival at Barcelona's Josep Tarradellas airport, Sheinbaum was received by dozens of supporters — Mexicans living in Spain and France who had traveled to greet her at the Hotel Catalonia. In statements to reporters, she characterized the visit as focused on democratic solidarity: 'There is no diplomatic crisis, there never was one.' Her bilateral agenda for April 18 includes meetings with Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez, Brazilian President Lula, Colombian President Petro, Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi, and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley. The visit is framed as a return to Mexican multilateralism after AMLO's relative isolationism.