The Diplomat
The Director General for Foreign and Security Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fidel Sendagorta, represented Spain yesterday at the EU Foreign Affairs Council, which approved, among other decisions, the priorities of the Union at the 76th UN General Assembly and the extension of sanctions on Russia in relation to Ukraine.
The holding of the July Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) coincided with the extensive reshuffle of the Government announced last Saturday by President Pedro Sánchez and with the act of transfer of portfolio from the previous Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, to the new head of the department, José Manuel Albares. Apart from that, the event in Madrid was attended by all the secretaries of state of the Ministry, including those who, under normal conditions, usually replace the minister when he or she cannot attend the Council: the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and for Ibero-America and the Caribbean, Cristina Gallach; and the Secretary of State for the European Union, Juan González-Barba.
According to Ministry sources informed The Diplomat, Spain was represented by Fidel Sendagorta, and by the Ambassador Permanent Representative of Spain to the European Union, Pablo García-Berdoy. In any case, Sendagorta is a veteran diplomat with extensive experience in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he served in the past, among other positions, as deputy director general of the Cabinet of the Minister, ambassador on special mission for the Mediterranean, director general for the Mediterranean, Maghreb and Middle East and director general for North America, Asia and the Pacific. In addition, in his capacity as director general for Foreign and Security Policy, he is always in charge of organizing Spain’s agenda in the FAC.
Among the most important measures approved at yesterday’s FAC was the extension by six months -until January 31, 2022- of the sanctions on certain specific economic sectors of Russia as a consequence of the last evaluation of the state of implementation of the Minsk agreements, which took place at the European Council in June. On that occasion, European leaders called on Russia to ensure full implementation of the Minsk agreements as a key condition for any substantial change in the EU’s position. “In view of the fact that these agreements are not being fully implemented by Russia, EU leaders unanimously decided to extend the existing economic sanctions against the country,” the FAC explained yesterday.
Moreover, the foreign ministers yesterday approved the EU priorities for the 76th UN General Assembly (to be held between September 2021 and September 2022), including the defense of multilateralism, support for the UN as “an indispensable forum for international cooperation and a cornerstone of the multilateral system,” reconstruction after the COVID-19 pandemic, the promotion of peace and security, the fight against climate change, and the global digital agenda. The FAC also adopted yesterday the declaration A Globally Connected Europe, which advocates “a geostrategic and global approach to connectivity with the aim of advancing its economic, foreign policy and development interests, as well as its security interests, and promoting European values.”
