The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, closes his visit to Davos by defending Spain's foreign policy, highlighting its importance, unique identity and coherence. These characteristics have led to Spain being involved in the main issues on the international agenda and have resulted in other countries requesting Spain's presence in such matters.
With more than 60 heads of State and representatives from 120 countries, Albares took advantage of this forum, which this year has chosen the theme “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age”, to address the most pressing issues in different panels such as “Diplomacy amid Disorder”, where he participated with two key players in the Middle East: Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Albares reported his impressions from his recent tour of Lebanon and Syria, as well as his vision of the ceasefire in both Gaza and Lebanon. And he did so in a speech that reflected the fact that Spain's voice carries weight, with its own identity and coherence.
In his meetings, Albares also highlighted that Spain is a country currently enjoying the greatest international influence in the EU in our history. Accordingly, he recalled that, in the last three years alone, we have hosted the NATO summit at the most delicate time for Euro-Atlantic security; we have held the Presidency of the European Union, which has served to bring Latin America and Europe closer together; and we have concluded the Pact on Migration and Asylum, among other milestones.
New milestones
He added that these achievements will be followed by more in 2025, given that the United Nations has entrusted Spain with the International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Seville next July; and that all the countries of the Ibero-American community have named Spain as Pro Tempore Secretariat for the organisation of the Ibero-American Summit in 2026 in Spain.
There is also the presence of Spaniards in important positions in the European Commission, NATO and the European Banking Authority, which led the Spanish minister to conclude that Spain's foreign policy has an identity of its own that is present and sought after by other countries.
The Spanish minister has held various meetings, including encounters with his counterparts from Chile, Jordan, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and the Vice-President of Iran, among others, as well as a meeting with the Commissioner for Climate, Wopke Hoekstra. The minister's agenda also included a section on economic diplomacy, where he was joined by senior representatives from Google and the CEO of the Open Society Foundation.
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