The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, met today with representatives of the African embassies to share the progress made on the new Strategy before it reaches the Council of Ministers.
The presentation of this Strategy, with which the Government aim to give a fresh boost to foreign policy towards the continent, was attended by representatives of all the African embassies accredited in Spain. This meeting is part of the round of consultations that have also taken place with their respective authorities through the Spanish embassies in Africa, and through the Minister’s recent visits to Africa.
Today's meeting, chaired by Albares, is part of a series of working meetings aimed at completing the final details of the text. Earlier this week, the minister also held a meeting with the Government State secretaries involved in this Strategy.
With this Strategy, Spain seeks greater cooperation with its African partners based on strengthening partnerships and the principle of mutual respect, and assumes a leading role as the European country closest to Africa.
Spain maintains a growing political dialogue with the AU and ECOWAS, as a partner in trade and investment, development cooperation, security and migration management. It is a leading country in the transport and energy infrastructure sectors and in the fishing sector (with the largest fishing fleet in the EU), and has a presence in several African countries with cultural and educational cooperation instruments and with a growing demand for Spanish language learning.
After today's discussions, a new meeting of the Africa Round Table is scheduled, which, chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, will bring together the General State Administration and Spanish civil society before the final text is submitted to the Council of Ministers for final approval.