The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, said yesterday in Washington that both the words spoken on Tuesday by Philip VI and the visit of the King and Queen of Spain to Morocco’s stand at FITUR are “the most normal thing in the world” between partner and neighboring countries and expressed, in this sense, his wish that the Moroccan ambassador, Karima Benyaich, would return to Madrid.
“The King is an asset of Spain’s foreign projection,” the minister declared during a press conference on the second day of his official visit to the US. For this reason, he continued, the words of the Monarch at the reception for the diplomatic corps, in which he invited Morocco to “begin to materialize the new bilateral relationship” and that they are “in perfect harmony” with the Government, and the visit of the King and Queen to the Moroccan stand at FITUR, are “the most normal thing in the world” between two neighboring countries and partners such as Spain and Morocco.
Likewise, Albares expressed his wish that Karima Benyaich -called for consultations in May, after the serious diplomatic crisis over the alleged irregular entry into Spain of the leader of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali- returns to Madrid, because “the relationship between the Moroccan Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is totally normal, as is that of Spain in Rabat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the rest”. In any case, he specified, “it is a decision that corresponds to Morocco”.
Albares made these statements a day after being received in Washington by the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, with whom he talked about the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, the next NATO Summit in Madrid and democracy in Latin America. During the meeting, as reported yesterday by the US Embassy in Spain, both defended “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and reiterated that any new Russian aggression against Ukraine will result in a severe response”. They also “reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation between Spain and the United States to address common challenges, such as the promotion of democracy and human rights in Latin America, the strengthening of transatlantic security and many other global issues”.
In addition, as Albares explained to journalists, the minister and the Secretary of State pledged to “join forces” to resolve the conflict in Western Sahara, a crisis that has worsened especially after the decision of the former US president, Donald Trump, to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the territory, which served as a trigger for the serious diplomatic crisis that Rabat and Madrid have been experiencing for almost a year.
After his meeting with Blinken, Albares met with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, with whom he stressed “the strength of the relationship between Spain and the United States, based on the shared values and principles of democracy, rule of law and defense of human rights,” as the minister explained via Twitter.
Later, he was received by the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, at the headquarters of the organization and in the framework of the 50th anniversary of Spain’s accession as the first Permanent Observer country of the OAS. At the meeting, which was also attended by the Secretary of State for Ibero-America and the Caribbean and for Spanish in the World, Juan Fernández-Trigo, Albares highlighted “Spain’s commitment to the work of the OAS, especially in the area of human rights, as well as in the fight against the pandemic through solidarity and multilateralism”, while Almagro thanked “the Spanish Government for offering vaccines against COVID-19 to all Latin American and Caribbean countries that need them”.
Tuesday also included a meeting with the president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Mauricio Claver-Carone, at the Bank’s headquarters; and a meeting with representatives of Spanish companies in the United States, in which the Secretary of State for Foreign and Global Affairs, Ángeles Moreno, also participated.
Afterwards, José Manuel Albares presented the Order of Civil Merit to chef José Andrés “for his work in times of crisis” through World Central Kitchen, the NGO founded by the Spanish chef to provide food assistance to people in vulnerable situations around the world. “It has been a pleasure to award chef José Andrés the Order of Civil Merit for his work with World Central Kitchen in times of crisis, such as recently in La Palma,” the minister said via Twitter. José Andrés’ NGO – Princess of Asturias Award for Concord 2021 – has helped those affected by the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma, delivering meals and visiting the island on several occasions. During the ceremony, held at the Spanish Embassy in Washington, the chef announced that he would give the amount corresponding to the award to the victims in La Palma.
Meeting with Hispanic leaders
Yesterday began with a meeting with U.S. Hispanic leaders at the Spanish Ambassador’s Residence in Washington. “We talked about the ties that unite us: Spanish in the U.S. and Spain’s commitment to Latin America,” Albares explained via Twitter. “Our action towards the region is focused on strengthening institutional stability, fighting poverty and responding to the pandemic,” he added.
Albares later delivered a lecture on The Transatlantic Relationship: A View From Spain at the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, and held a conversation on the bilateral relationship between Spain and the US and Spain’s role in NATO with NATO Chairman John J. Hamre.
