IN REYKJAVIK

The minister participates in the IV Summit of the Council of Europe

This meeting has two main priorities: the reaffirmation of the political support and the solidarity with Ukraine, and the strengthening and revitalisation of the role of the organisation

May 17, 2023

Forty countries within the Council of Europe, amongst them Spain, have signed up in Reykjavik to a register of damages and losses caused by Russia's intervention in Ukraine; three other countries have expressed their intention to do so, and the European Union (EU) and the United States, Japan and Canada, which have observer status, have also joined the register. According to José Manuel Albares, the creation of such a register is "a first step to ensure that crimes are not left unpunished".

The Reykjavik summit has also served to further extend the declaration of human rights and to reinforce the democratic principles that are at the foundations on which the Council of Europe has been built. According to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, "we are bringing values such as climate emergency, gender equality and fighting violence against women up to date for the 21st century".

During his stay in the Icelandic capital, minister Albares held bilateral meetings with the Icelandic Presidency of the Council of Europe and with some of his peers.

Photos: Javier Hernández