In Santander, Albares hails Ibero-American Summit in Madrid as “the major event for 21st-century multilateralism”

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, took part on Tuesday in the fourth edition of the “Spain in the World” course, organised by the Ministry in conjunction with the Menéndez Pelayo International University. In his speech, he hailed the forthcoming Ibero-American Summit in Madrid as “the major event for 21st-century multilateralism”, a meeting point to reaffirm the Ibero-American community as a global player on the world stage, with its own identity and voice.

“From Spain, we want to help ensure that the future of multilateralism continues to be written in Spanish and Portuguese; that the voice of Ibero-America is heard more clearly in a world that needs more bridges and fewer borders, more cooperation and less confrontation,” said the Minister in his address to Allamand, several Secretaries of State, researchers, academics and students.

He reiterated that the Summit must result in concrete commitments to make Ibero-America a stronger, more united community with a greater global presence. A community capable of responding to crises in a united manner, facilitating the mobility of talent, advancing rights, and demonstrating that cooperation remains the wisest, fairest and most humane path in times of uncertainty.

Following his address at the course which began on Monday, the Minister held a discussion with the Ibero-American Secretary-General, Andrés Allamand, with whom he also discussed the run-up to the Madrid Summit and Spain’s role as a bridge between the two sides of the Atlantic.

Entitled ‘Ibero-America: a way of being and existing in the world’, and moderated by Carla Hobb of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), the discussion centred on the current situation regarding armed conflicts, the questioning of the multilateral system and the role of Ibero-America in the world, amongst other topics.

During his visit to Santander, the minister held a brief meeting with students attending the presentations and had lunch with representatives from various international think tanks who are also participating in the course as speakers.

Specifically, Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Programme at the International Crisis Group; Bruno Maçaes, of Flint Global; Jeremy Cliffe, editorial director and senior researcher at the ECFR; Maha Yahya, director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Centre; Steven Wilson, Director of the V-Dem Institute; Valeria Moy, Director-General of the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO); Kristina Spohr, Professor in the Department of History at the LSE; and Marta Lagos, Founder of Corporación Latinobarómetro and Director of MORI Chil.

The fourth edition of the course will bring together academics, foreign policy makers, analysts from international think tanks and emerging voices over five days to examine the major transformations in the international order.

This edition also coincides with two particularly significant milestones: the preparations for the Ibero-American Summit, and the fortieth anniversary of Spain’s accession to the European Communities, providing an opportunity to rethink the future of European integration. Instability in the Middle East will also be a focus of attention, highlighting the need for active diplomacy that promotes negotiated solutions.​

Throughout the week, the course will also feature contributions from the State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs, Diego Martínez Belío; the State Secretary for the European Union, Fernando Sampedro; and the State Secretary for International Cooperation, Eva Granados.

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