The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, welcomed the Foreign Ministers of the 22 Ibero-American countries on Wednesday, 4 November, as part of the Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government. They are meeting today in Madrid to give a final political impetus to the work carried out during Spain's Pro Tempore Secretariat.
The meeting of Foreign Ministers is one of the key events of the Summit. They are responsible for building the political consensus needed to advance the Ibero-American Community's agreements and prepare the decisions that will subsequently be submitted for consideration by the Heads of State and Government.
From New York to Madrid
The meeting follows on from the working breakfast held in September in New York on the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly. On that occasion, the ministers exchanged views on the Summit's priorities, promoted new common positions within the Ibero-American Community and supported the admission of India, Angola, Türkiye and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) as new observers.
In Madrid, the Foreign Ministers have addressed the adoption of the main documents and initiatives promoted during Spain's Presidency.
In addition to adopting these instruments, the Foreign Ministers have examined the Special Communiqués that will be submitted to the Heads of State and Government.
Ibero-America and the challenges facing multilateralism
The ministers have also addressed Ibero-America’s role in an international context marked by growing challenges to multilateralism. In this regard, they have examined the progress made in recent months towards strengthening the Community’s capacity for political coordination through shared positions on issues of common interest.
Albares stressed that “we have an opportunity to reaffirm our determination to continue building together an Ibero-American Community of Nations that is effective, dynamic and committed to meeting the needs of our citizens”.
Today’s meeting paves the way for the gathering of Heads of State and Government, culminating more than two years of negotiations, ministerial meetings and technical work undertaken by the Ibero-American countries to define the Community’s common priorities for the coming years.
Bilateral meetings
On the sidelines of the meeting, Minister Albares held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Mexico, Ecuador, Venezuela, Costa Rica and Angola.
He also met with the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Images of the meeting are available here
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