Eduardo González
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, took advantage yesterday of his participation in the fourth summit of the European Political Community (EPC), held at Blenheim Palace, in Woodstock (Oxfordshire), to hold his first bilateral meeting with the newly appointed Prime Minister. of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, with whom he addressed the negotiations for the agreement on Gibraltar.
“It has been a pleasure to reaffirm the close relations of friendship that unite our countries,” declared Sánchez through the social network X. “The United Kingdom is a preferred partner, friend and ally for Spain,” he continued. “The drive of two progressive executives will bring greater prosperity for our citizens,” he added. “The deep ties we share are an example of what the new relationship between the United Kingdom and the EU can become,” he concluded.
As reported by Moncloa in a press release, Sánchez conveyed to Starmer the need to create a framework for bilateral and structured dialogue and showed him his “constructive attitude” in order to reach an agreement on Gibraltar. Likewise, he highlighted that the deep ties that Spain and the United Kingdom share are “an example” of what the new relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom can become. In his speech opening the summit, Keir Starmer himself proclaimed the “reset” of relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union under the new Labor Government.
For its part, the British Government reported that, during the meeting, Starmer set out his plan to reset the United Kingdom's position on the international stage and hoped that “the change in approach would forge the way for an agreement on Gibraltar that worked for all parties.” The leaders also addressed the generational challenges facing Europe, including Russian disinformation, the climate crisis and illegal migration, with Starmer hoped the UK and Spain could work even closer together to tackle such issues in the coming months. The two leaders agreed to stay in close touch.
On July 11, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, held his first bilateral meeting in Washington with his new counterpart from the United Kingdom, the Labor Party David Lammy, with whom he addressed the negotiations on the future fit of Gibraltar into the Union. European Union after Brexit and with whom he agreed on the need to “move forward quickly for the benefit and interest of all.”
In addition, Sánchez held a bilateral meeting yesterday with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to whom he conveyed Spain's support for as long as necessary and reiterated support for his initiative to hold a second Summit for Peace in Ukraine with all actors involved.
The Chief Executive also met with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof, with whom he agreed on the importance of continuing to work together on strategic issues for both countries and for the European Union, such as the single market and open strategic autonomy. ; with the Prime Minister of Iceland, Bjarni, Benediktsson, to whom he conveyed his recognition for the upcoming opening of the Icelandic Embassy in Spain; with the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinián; and with the opposition leader of Belarus, Svetlana Tijanóvskaya.
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