A. Rubio / L Ayllón
In the presence of four Spanish government ministers – Justice, Interior, Defence and Agriculture – and the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs – representing Minister Albares, who is travelling in Indonesia – the US ambassador, Julissa Reynoso, said yesterday that the United States wants to give “a new impetus to our bilateral relationship, which is already very advanced”.
At a reception held at the Palacio de los Duques de Pastrana in Madrid, and after the arrival of the Spanish and US flags, carried by a group of US Marines, the national anthems of the two countries were played.
The US Ambassador then pointed out that this first commemoration of the 4th of July that she has celebrated since taking office, on the 246th anniversary of the Independence of the United States, “could not have come at a better time”, following the NATO Summit in Madrid.
The many bilateral meetings held by the American and Spanish authorities, beginning with the meetings that President Joe Biden himself held with King Felipe VI and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, “demonstrate”, said Reinoso, “how advanced the relationship with Spain is“, which he reiterated as an “indispensable ally, something which, he said, I have been able to verify in recent months”.
For this reason, she assured that both countries will be able to set in motion a “very ambitious common agenda for our peoples“. According to the US ambassador, “together we will reinforce our multilateral responses to global challenges; we will strengthen cooperation in defence; we will defend democracy and human rights, such as gender equality and LGBTI rights; we will reinforce collaboration in security and justice; we will promote safe, orderly and regular migration; and we will continue to fight human trafficking and climate change”.
The celebration, which was less crowded than in the years prior to the pandemic, was attended by 750 guests from all cultural, political, economic, artistic and social spheres.
In addition to the aforementioned ministers, those attending the reception included former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Director of the National Intelligence Centre (CNI), Esperanza Casteleiro; senior military commanders; and a large group of representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, such as the Director General for Foreign Policy and Security, Federico Torres; and the Director General for North America, Eastern Europe, Asia and the Pacific, Javier Salido.
Also attended numerous ambassadors from the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Madrid, as well as Spanish businessmen and parliamentarians.
