Eduardo González
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced yesterday in New York his intention to present his candidacy to preside the Socialist International to promote a progressive and social democratic vision that he considers “more important than ever” in today’s world.
Sánchez announced his candidacy during the meeting of the Presidium of the Socialist International (SI) – of which he himself is vice-president – held yesterday in New York on the margins of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly. “I think it is very important, today more than ever, a progressive voice, a social democratic voice, to give multilateral answers to challenges that are global and that need, therefore, the articulation of this progressive movement on a global scale,” said the head of the Executive during a press conference at the residence of the ambassador permanent representative of Spain to the United Nations. The SI congress will take place in Madrid on November 24 and “I hope to have the confidence of my colleagues to open this new stage”, he added. The announcement received immediate applause from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, who declared on the same social network that “Sánchez’s candidacy to lead the Socialist International is great news for the social democrats of the world”.
In the same press conference, offered a few hours before appearing before the General Assembly, the President of the Government denounced the latest announcements of the Russian regime of Vladimir Putin, especially the “false referendums” of self-determination in the occupied territories of the Dombas, which represent “a new violation of international legality” and which “will never be recognized by the international community, by Europe nor, of course, Spain”. “An illegal invasion cannot be settled with illegal referendums, we will not recognize this masquerade,” he insisted.
Sanchez also warned that, with Putin’s latest decisions, we are entering a “critical difficult phase of the conflict”, which reflects that Moscow is “realizing that it is not winning the war” and, as “every authoritarian regime, hardens its attitude to hide its weakness”. Therefore, he warned, it is necessary to be “more united than ever”, despite possible disaffections within the EU, especially Hungary. “European unity is resounding and comes out strengthened with Putin’s announcements, and I do not perceive division in Europe, on the contrary, I perceive strength in the united European response to Putin’s blackmail,” he assured.
“This war has a quick solution, the one who started the war was Putin and the one who can end it is Putin,” he assured. However, he admitted, this war is of “utmost gravity” because “a permanent member of the Security Council has violated rules-based principles.” “The Security Council is fundamentally blocked by Russia, but the international community has expressed itself through the UN General Assembly in a forceful manner against the illegal invasion,” he added.
During the press conference, Sánchez reviewed the issues that prioritized the Spanish agenda in New York and that he would address a few hours later during his speech before the General Assembly, with special attention to the energy crisis, the food crisis, climate change, recovery after COVID, public health and the achievement of the sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda.
Pedro Sánchez’s day yesterday began with a breakfast meeting with investors at the Economic and Commercial Office of Spain in New York, in the Chrysler Building, to discuss Spain’s macroeconomic outlook in the current geopolitical context and investment opportunities in our country and to address progress on the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. He also visited the Little Spain market in New York’s Hudson Yards neighborhood.
