The King defends the “natural and essential dialogue” between Spain and the US “beyond political situations”

Eduardo González King Felipe VI defended this Friday, during the opening dinner of the 28th Spain-US Forum, "the natural and essential dialogue" between the two countries "beyond" the "ups and downs of political situations." The city of Santander is hosting the 28th edition of the Spain-US Forum from this Friday until Saturday, the main meeting for public-private dialogue between the two countries, which will address three main issues: energy efficiency, sustainable transport infrastructure, and artificial intelligence. The meeting takes place amid deteriorating relations between Madrid and Washington due to the decision by Pedro Sánchez's government not to allocate 5% of GDP to defense spending, as demanded by US President Donald Trump and approved at the recent NATO Summit in The Hague. In retaliation, the US president threatened to make Spain pay "double" in tariffs, and the President of the Government reminded him that Spain's trade policy with third countries "is directed from Brussels." "The true independence of states is not determined by self-sufficiency," the monarch asserted during the inaugural dinner, held at the Gran Casino Sardinero, where he was accompanied by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska. “Independent countries are those that, consciously and voluntarily, ally themselves with others, with whom they join forces and affirm a mutually enriching dependence, cemented by harmony in so many ideological, ethical, and moral aspects: aspects that transcend and explain us, that are the essence of our being and presence in the world,” he continued. “From that point of view, the ultimate reason why the United States and Spain—in and of themselves and as part of Europe—are simultaneously interdependent and independent is that we are democracies, not because of a political situation, but because of a history that has taken a great deal of effort to build,” he warned. “Because the transatlantic bond should not be limited to a shared vision of global geopolitics, which can suffer ups and downs in certain political situations on one side or the other,” affirmed Felipe VI. “In the alliance between our two countries, within this Euro-Atlantic framework (…), what matters most, what should matter most” is “that culture of relationship that makes dialogue something natural and indispensable, almost instinctive, that goes beyond the current situation or circumstances,” the King concluded. Foreign Ministry For his part, the State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs, Diego Martínez Belío, highlighted in the forum's opening session “the strategic ties between the United States and Spain in the political, economic, and security spheres, with a long-term horizon,” as well as the importance of scientific and technological cooperation and the value of Spanish as one of the greatest shared assets between the two countries. The Spain-United States Forum, promoted by the Spain-US Council Foundation and the United States-Spain Council, brings together more than 100 leaders from the public, business, and academic spheres for two days to reflect on global challenges. This year's event will be led by the co-chairs of the Forum's organizing entities, Josu Jon Imaz, president of the Spain-US Council Foundation and CEO of Repsol, and US Senator Ben Ray Luján, honorary president of the United States-Spain Council, from New Mexico. In addition to Diego Martínez Belío, José Manuel Santano, Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, will be participating on behalf of Spain. Also in Santander are the Spanish ambassador to Washington, Ángeles Moreno Bau, and the Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Spain, Rian Harris. On the business front, participating on behalf of Spain are Óscar García Maceiras, CEO of INDITEX; Arturo Gonzalo, CEO of ENAGÁS; and Juan Santamaría, CEO of ACS. On behalf of the US are Darío Gil, corporate vice president of IBM and director of IBM Research (recently nominated by President Trump as Undersecretary for Science and Innovation at the Department of Energy); Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation; and Brad Carson, President of Americans for Responsible Innovation.

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