At the opening ceremony, the President of the Government asked the diplomatic corps to "do their utmost" to show a Spain that defends the universality of human rights; the international order based on rules, which is committed to peace and solidarity and which raises the banner of gender equality at the forefront of its tasks in the foreign sphere. In his speech, Pedro Sánchez announced the objectives of foreign action for the coming year, underlining the "wellspring of Europeanism that is Spain" and stressing that the Presidency of the Council of the EU has contributed to European unity, one of the main cornerstones of Spanish foreign policy.
José Manuel Albares, who spoke at the opening and closing sessions, stressed that the Conference would serve to "reflect on the current world situation and on Spain's priorities for effective external action to defend our interests, promote our values and protect our citizens". In the minister's opinion, "the defence of peace and active peacebuilding is a necessary condition for stability, development, progress and freedom".
The minister then set out the priorities and main lines of foreign policy for the coming years, highlighting Spain's "active and leading" position in the international arena, "recognised by our partners and allies around the world". "Our voice is heard in Brussels, Washington and Beijing. We have Spaniards holding key positions in the European and international architecture. All of this has a positive and very direct impact on the well-being of Spaniards. Hopefully, we will continue on this path in 2024," said the head of Spanish diplomacy.
Finally, Minister Albares called for Spanish diplomacy to act to "preserve and strengthen a multilateral order that is increasingly a political and vital imperative" and announced that in keeping with this multilateral vocation, "we have presented our candidacy to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2025-2027 term".
The 2024 Ambassadors Conference was attended by the Ministers of Defence, Margarita Robles; Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska; of Economy, Trade and Business, Carlos Cuerpo; and of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu. The Secretary-General of the SEGIB (Ibero-American General Secretariat), Andrés Allamand, also took part.