Eduardo González
King Felipe VI and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier recalled this Wednesday, November 26, the symbolic importance of the German leader’s visit this Friday to Guernica, a city for which “Germans have assumed a great deal of guilt” and whose bombing by Nazi forces allied with Franco during the Spanish Civil War is “a reminder of the horror to which totalitarianism leads.”
The two heads of state made these remarks during the gala dinner offered by the King and Queen to the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and the First Lady, Elke Büdenbender, on the occasion of their state visit to Spain.
This is the first state visit by a German president to Spain since 2002 and represents a return visit following the state visit made by the King and Queen to Germany in October 2022. It is also Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s second visit to Spain since taking office in March 2017, but his first, which took place at the end of October 2018 on the occasion of the Spanish-German Forum, was classified as an “official visit,” not a “state visit.” Furthermore, the King last visited Germany in May of this year, for the presentation of the Charlemagne Prize to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The day began at the Royal Palace in Madrid, where the German president and his wife were officially received by the King and Queen, in the presence of the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez; the Speaker of the Congress of Deputies, Francina Armengol; the President of the Senate, Pedro Rollán; and the President of the Constitutional Court, Cándido Conde-Pumpido. The Spanish ambassador to Germany, Pascual Navarro; the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida; the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Global Affairs, Diego Martínez Belío; and the Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón, were among the authorities and dignitaries present.
Later, King Felipe met with the German president at the Zarzuela Palace, where, according to the Federal Presidency, Steinmeier paid tribute to the close relations between Germany and Spain and highlighted bilateral cooperation within the European Union.
Meanwhile, Queen Letizia and Elke Büdenbender held a working meeting at the Royal Collections Gallery on women and equality in Spain, organized by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. They were accompanied by the Secretary of State for Trade, Amparo López Senovilla.
The German president was also received by the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, who presented him with the Golden Key of the City of Madrid, an honorary and ceremonial distinction awarded by the City Council to foreign heads of state or government who officially visit the city.
First speech by a German president in Spanish Parliament
In the afternoon, Steinmeier was received by the Speaker of the Congress, Francina Armengol, and the President of the Senate, Pedro Rollán, and addressed the members of parliament from the rostrum of the Chamber.
In his speech, the first delivered by a German president before a joint session of Spanish Parliament, Steinmeier warned that “the foundation of democracy and freedom in Europe is being shaken both from without and from within.” “With its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia has not only invaded a sovereign neighboring country, it has shattered the post-war order of peace, the order that has given our continent eight decades of freedom, security, and prosperity,” he continued.
“While the foundations are being shaken from the outside,” he warned, “some forces are also emerging from within that are trying to erode them.” “Extremist and populist movements are gaining strength in our societies, celebrating electoral successes and participating in governments,” from which they “attack the pillars on which liberal democracies rest,” he continued. For all these reasons, he affirmed, “the path we take in the coming years will determine whether we become a Europe of liberal democracies or a Europe of authoritarian temptations in the future.”
Later, the president and his wife visited the Reina Sofía National Art Centre in Madrid, where they viewed Picasso’s ‘Guernica,’ a prelude to their visit to the Basque city later that Friday.
The Gala dinner: Guernica
The memory of the bombing of Guernica was, precisely, one of the central themes of the traditional gala dinner offered by the King and Queen to the President of Germany and his wife. During his speech, the Monarch affirmed that Spain and Germany are united by “the ideals of freedom, democracy, social justice, and respect for human dignity.” “Germany accompanied us on our path back to Europe and in the consolidation of our democracy, and Spain was a great defender of German reunification, a key moment in the history of the European Union,” he recalled.
King Felipe VI also took the opportunity to thank Steinmeier for his upcoming visit to Guernica this Friday, an event with strong symbolic significance as he will become the first German president to visit the Basque town since it was devastated by the Condor Legion in 1937.
“On behalf of the entire Spanish people, I recognize and appreciate the profound symbolic gesture of concord that your visit to the Basque Country represents, where I will join you to honor the memory of the victims of the bombing of Guernica,” he stated. He recalled that this tragedy occurred “during our terrible Civil War, which served as a prelude to what happened in Europe shortly thereafter; a reminder of the horror to which totalitarian regimes lead.”
For his part, the German president denounced in his speech that “liberal democracies are being attacked from within and without, and in many democracies, including my country, extremist forces are gaining strength that despise, ridicule, and weaken democracy and its institutions.”
“We are on the cusp of a new era; these are far-reaching changes that are putting Europe to the test,” and therefore, “it is even more important that we Europeans stand united now, that we reflect on what unites us, what has guided us in recent decades: solidarity among European states, our values, our fight for human rights, the rule of law, democracy, and freedom.”
Steinmeier also highlighted the trip he will make this Friday with his wife to Guernica, a city for which “Germans have assumed a great deal of guilt.” “On April 26, 1937, the dreaded Condor Legion bombed the city, leaving behind a landscape of ruins: hundreds of defenseless children, women, and men lost their lives in a cruel and agonizing way, and the horror and pain remain alive in many Basque families to this day,” he stated. “Pablo Picasso captured the horror in his masterpiece, also for us, future generations,” he concluded.
Economic Forum, Pedro Sánchez, and visit to the Basque Country
On Thursday, November 27, the King and the President of the Federal Republic of Germany will inaugurate the 11th Spanish-German Economic Forum, organized by the CEOE (Spanish Confederation of Employers’ Organizations), and, after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the German leader will be received by Pedro Sánchez at the Moncloa Palace.
Later, Steinmeier will visit Merck’s biotechnology production plant and present the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany to former German footballer Toni Kroos. Following this, he will visit the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and meet with Real Madrid officials and players. In the evening, the German president and the first lady will host a reception in honor of the King and Queen at the German Embassy in Spain.
On Friday, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife will continue their agenda in the Basque Country, where the German president will be received in Vitoria by the Lehendakari (President of the Basque Government), Imanol Pradales. The German leader will then pay tribute to the victims of the bombing of Guernica and visit the Peace Museum in the Biscayan town, before traveling to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
