123 Spanish ambassadors gathered over two days at the headquarters in Plaza del Marqués de Salamanca to reflect on how to address the main global challenges to best defend Spain’s interests and project our values around the world.
According to King Felipe VI, such challenges in recent years as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine “have highlighted the importance of acting in unity with our partners, both in the European Union and NATO”. In his opinion, Europe’s reaction to Russian aggression has shown the “potential of the EU when it acts as a united bloc”. Accordingly, His Majesty encouraged progress in a European interaction project that spans the field of defence and security, and underlined that “a strong Europe in terms of defence strengthens NATO and vice versa”.
The 7th Conference of Ambassadors was inaugurated by the President of the Government, who thanked the ambassadors for their “dedication and commitment” and highlighted their contribution so that our country “can reposition itself on the map of influences”. “You are the image and emblem of an extraordinary country, the best in the world, which is Spain; hence everything is worthwhile to this end and I encourage you to achieve this and am sincerely grateful for your extraordinary work”, he added.
For his part, Minister José Manuel Albares stressed in his speech that the conference “takes place at what is probably the most complex and turbulent time for Europe since the Berlin Wall came down, following an unjust, unjustified, brutal and, above all, illegal Russian aggression against Ukraine”. Accordingly, the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs stressed that “our utmost responsibility is to guarantee the safety and prosperity of the Spanish people in regard to the values of Spanish society, which are the values of Europe”.
The 7th Conference of Ambassadors also included speeches by the First Vice-President of the Government, Nadia Calviño; the Ministers for Defence, and for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Margarita Robles and Reyes Maroto, respectively; the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen; and senior officials from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.