<h6><strong>Luis Ayllón</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The German ambassador in Madrid, María Margarete Gosse, stated on Thursday that collaboration between Spain and Germany is more necessary than ever today and assured that her country always emerges stronger from crises.</strong></h4> Margarete Gosse made these statements during the speech she gave at the reception offered at her residence, to commemorate <strong>the Day of Unity of Germany,</strong> and which was attended by numerous guests, including most of the European ambassadors and from other regions of the world. After the interpretation of the national anthems of Germany and Spain, the ambassador said a few words in which she began by pointing out that she had been able to keep her promise to celebrate the holiday again at her usual residence, after two years in which she had to do so, due to construction work, at the German School. After stating that, after the restoration of German unity in 1990, the country has guaranteed rights, freedoms and a well-being such as the German people have never experienced, she expressed her concern about the results recorded in some States, such as Thuringia, Saxony or Brandenburg, where far-right parties have made great progress and which - she said - show dividing lines in German society, which are against the ideas of the Basic Law of Germany. Maria Margarete Gosse said that in the foreign sphere, there is a need to respond to major challenges such as the wars in Ukraine or the Middle East. After recalling that the conflict in Ukraine is at the door, she pointed out that "if we are not able to solve it, we will have very similar problems." She insisted that <strong>Germany and its European partners support the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. </strong> As for the Middle East, she considered the situation “terrible” and pointed out that Germany, due to its history, <strong>defends Israel’s right to exist</strong> and defend its existence, and also supports proposals for a ceasefire to improve the humanitarian situation, as well as negotiations for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. She recalled that the <strong>Minister of Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock, has already traveled to the region eleven times</strong> since October 7, 2023 to support a negotiated solution, and added that, like Spain, Germany defends the two-state solution. The ambassador took advantage of her speech to congratulate Spain on the appointment of the former Third Vice President of the Government, Teresa Ribera, as the new Vice President for Fair, Clean and Competitive Transition of the European Commission. She then referred to the voices heard in recent months about Germany's economic situation, and acknowledged that the country is facing structural changes similar to those of many other countries, but added: "<strong>I have seen Germany in several crises, and I have always observed that it reinvents itself and emerges from the crisis stronger than before."</strong> She specified that the greatest pillar of Germany's industrial structure is the numerous SMEs - 90% he indicated - that have less than 250 employees, with strong integrated value chains, and pointed out that his country invests more than 72 billion euros in research and development each year. Regarding bilateral relations with Spain, after pointing out that they are "excellent", he said: "We need them more and more, in a Europe that sees its security threatened, that sees its economic structures changing and that also sees many challenges to its values." The ambassador added that it is very important for Europe to have two States that understand each other well, and reiterated that <strong>for Spain and Germany “bilateral collaboration is more important than ever.”</strong> She also referred to the cooperation between the two countries in the cultural field, and thanked the work of the Goethe Institute and the Cervantes Institute, as well as the German School in Madrid. [caption id="attachment_96423" align="alignnone" width="2048"]<img class="size-full wp-image-96423" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/embajada-Alemania-5.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1366" /> The ambassador and her husband, together with senior officials from the Embassy, pose before the start of the event.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_96421" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="size-full wp-image-96421" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/embajada-alemania-4.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" /> The ambassador of Saudi Arabia, upon her arrival at the reception.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_96419" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="size-full wp-image-96419" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/embajada-alemania-3.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" /> The ambassador greets the ambassador of Angola.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_96417" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="size-full wp-image-96417" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/embajada-alemania-2.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" /> Guests in the gardens of the Embassy.[/caption]
