Eduardo González
Yesterday King Felipe VI closed the VIII Conference of Ambassadors with a call in favor of “Diplomacy for Peace” to “reverse” conflicts such as those in Ukraine and the Middle East and warned, regarding “the tragedy that Gaza is experiencing”, of that “without a political solution, which involves the establishment of the Palestinian State alongside Israel, it will not be possible to stop this cycle of violence or prevent it from being repeated.”
“Helping to promote our country in the world and defend our interests in any area would not be possible without a powerful and effective Foreign Service,” said the Monarch during the event, held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Marqués de Salamanca and at attended by 130 Spanish ambassadors accredited in as many countries or multilateral organizations.
“This effort that you make here is even more necessary and relevant in the current circumstances we live in,” the King continued. “We are witnessing situations that seemed to have been overcome or that, like the pandemic or the war at the gates of Europe, were inconceivable just a few years ago,” he added.
“Diplomacy for Peace requires continuing to influence the defense of an international order based on full respect for the United Nations Charter, the promotion of multilateralism and solidarity between European partners and Euro-Atlantic allies,” he stated. “The diplomatic dimension around any armed conflict is logically essential” and, therefore, he highlighted, “your work, that of the ambassadors, is key to reversing the situation in the face of aggressions such as that suffered by Ukraine, in the face of crises such as that in the East Middle, or in the face of conflicts and instability in many places in Africa such as the Sahel.”
“The tragedy that Gaza is experiencing is shaking the conscience of Humanity, as did the terrorist attack that Israel suffered on October 7, the worst in its history,” recalled the Monarch. “In the face of this crisis, in addition to the condemnation and call for the release of all hostages, and the request to respect International Law and International Humanitarian Law, we must also continue to insist that, without a political solution, which involves the establishment of the Palestinian State alongside Israel, it will not be possible to stop this cycle of violence or prevent it from being repeated,” he said. “This was precisely the promise of the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference, and the International Community must mobilize to help the parties materialize it,” he added.
Rest of interventions
During the rest of the day, several Government ministers spoke, who presented the achievements and objectives of their departments. The Minister of Economy, Commerce and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, stated that the work of the ambassadors “is crucial for economic diplomacy, so important to attract investment, promote Spain’s international leadership and reinforce confidence in our economy.”
For her part, the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, took the opportunity to “greatly appreciate your work in the areas where we have soldiers, because you are a great support,” warned that “it is extremely important to work for peace” and recalled that Throughout 2023 there were significant evacuations of civilians in countries such as Niger and Sudan. “Thanks to you many lives have been saved,” she said.
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, focused much of his intervention on the immigration field. In this sense, he asked the ambassadors stationed in Europe to convey “the valiant preventive effort” of Spain in irregular immigration, “which is the most effective way to address this phenomenon, protect the external borders and, most importantly, save lives.” . He also expressly addressed the ambassadors in Africa so that they convey to African countries Spain’s willingness to intensify collaboration in the fight against mafias that traffic in people, “to prevent their citizens, including many young people, women and children “, put themselves in the hands of unscrupulous networks that will not hesitate to put their lives at risk.”
