The Diplomat
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, participated yesterday in Brussels in the sixth Summit of the European Union and the Eastern Partnership countries, in the course of which the member states condemned the repression in Belarus.
“We believe in the constructive value of the Eastern Partnership for the region,” Sánchez said during his speech. “This Partnership has brought real change and has had a positive impact on citizens,” he continued.
During the plenary meeting, the leaders of the 27 and Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine addressed the shared interest in accelerating political association, deepening economic integration and pursuing mobility of citizens.
The Member States also discussed the situation in Belarus and condemned the repression and intimidation of the opposition and the media. For the Chief Executive, the solution “necessarily involves the establishment of a genuine and inclusive national dialogue, followed by free and transparent elections”.
During the Summit, a Joint Declaration, Recovery, Resilience and Reform, was approved, which proposes a series of objectives centered on two pillars, investment and governance, and a comprehensive agenda based on respect for democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms and gender equality.
Bilateral meeting between Sánchez and Zelenski
In the margins of the Summit, the President of the Government held a bilateral meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenski, in which both addressed, among other issues, the situation on the border with Russia.
On this issue, Sánchez showed Zelenski his solidarity and reiterated Spain’s “constant, coherent and consistent commitment to the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”. He also advocated “keeping the channels of dialogue open and achieving a de-escalation of tension in the region”.
Besides, Pedro Sánchez and Volodymyr Zelenski talked about the commemoration, in 2022, of the 30th anniversary of the beginning of diplomatic relations between Spain and Ukraine, which “will be an excellent opportunity to deepen relations between the two countries, particularly in the economic field”, according to the President of the Government, who will attend today in Brussels the meeting of the European Council, together with the heads of State and Government of the EU, and will conclude the day with his participation in the Euro Summit.
