The Diplomat
The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Robert Menéndez, has called for a “greater commitment” from Spain to the defence of human rights and democracy in Cuba and Venezuela in a conversation with the Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister, José Manuel Albares, reports Europa Press.
Bob Menéndez has already expressed his misgivings about Spain’s foreign policy towards Latin America on other occasions, for example during the first appearance in committee of Joe Biden’s government’s candidate to be US ambassador to Spain, Julissa Reynoso.
Albares reported late on Tuesday on his Twitter account of a videoconference with Menéndez, indicating that they spoke “about Latin America, NATO and the Spain-US relationship”. “Strengthening ties in the interest of our citizens”, he added.
Menéndez also gave an account on social networks of the content of the call, but specified that he reaffirmed the importance of “strength” in the face of possible “aggression” by Russia and that he called for “a greater commitment to rights and democracy in Cuba and Venezuela”.
The Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee expressed his “immense” gratitude to Albares for Spain’s rejection of the “tactics” of the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, as well as for the military and political support for the United States in Afghanistan.
