The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, left yesterday for Buenos Aires to attend the ministerial meeting between the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), where he will present the priorities for the Ibero-American region during the Spanish Presidency of the EU.
Argentina, which holds the pro tempore presidency of CELAC, will host from tomorrow the third joint meeting of foreign ministers of this organization and the European Union, which, under the slogan Renewing the bi-regional partnership to strengthen peace and sustainable development, will address issues such as inclusive economic recovery, The meeting will also address the role of science, technology and innovation for development and inclusion, the fight against climate change, disaster risk management, the digital agenda and multilateralism, and cooperation in the areas of security and governance, promotion and protection of human rights.
At the end of the meeting, a Road Map will be adopted to guide the preparatory work for the next Summit of Heads of State and Government CELAC-EU, scheduled for the second half of 2023, coinciding precisely with the Spanish Presidency of the Union. On September 6, Albares presented to the Council of Ministers the report on the Spanish Presidency, whose work program includes, precisely, the organization of an EU-CELAC Summit in Brussels.
“Albares attends this important meeting with the intention of further intensifying the relationship between both regions, which share the same interests and are committed to the values of democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and multilateralism as a solution to conflicts,” the Ministry indicated yesterday in a press release.
The Minister will be able to present these ideas during his speech at the EU-CELAC meeting, which will take place tomorrow, Thursday, as well as during his intense agenda of bilateral meetings in Buenos Aires. The meeting will be opened by the President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, and closed by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, and the Argentine Foreign Minister, Santiago Cafiero. So far, the foreign ministers of Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica and Paraguay, on the CELAC side, and Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Greece, Romania and Hungary, on the European side, have confirmed their presence.
Apart from this meeting, Albares will begin his visit to Buenos Aires with a meeting with Cafiero and the Argentine Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, with whom he will review the cultural, economic and political ties that unite Spain and Argentina and will discuss the difficult international context. Albares and Cafiero held a first meeting last May in Madrid on the occasion of Alberto Fernández’s official visit to Spain.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs also plans to meet with the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Cecilia Moreau, and with the heads of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Senate and of the Friendship Group with Spain. The minister’s agenda also includes a reception at the Spanish Club with Spanish associations, regional houses and the Spanish colony residing in Buenos Aires to learn first-hand about their situation.
Albares’ visit comes almost a week after the entry into force of the new Law of Democratic Memory (popularly known as the “Law of Grandchildren”) which defines, among other things, the criteria to be fulfilled in order to obtain Spanish nationality “as a reparation measure for the people who suffered exile”. According to the Argentinean press, those in charge of the consular office in Buenos Aires, the largest and most representative of Spain in the world, expect around 60,000 applications.
