<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, has welcomed the new High Representative for Foreign Policy of the EU, Kaja Kallas, and has thanked her predecessor, Josep Borrell, for “all his efforts in favor of peace and international law”.</strong></h4> “Looking forward to working with you, Kaja Kallas, for a strong EU voice in the world.,” Albares declared on social media on Monday. “Thank you, my dear friend Josep Borrell, for all your efforts in favor of peace and international law,” he continued in the same message. “Together, Europe is ready to face global issues,” he concluded. Kaja Kallas, who assumed her new role this past Sunday, December 1, was, between 2021 and 2024, the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Estonia and has become the first person from Eastern Europe to hold the position of High Representative of the EU for Foreign and Security Policy. Her term at the head of the Estonian Government was defined by her firm opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, consolidating herself as a key voice in Europe in defense of economic sanctions and military support for Kyiv. Under her leadership, Estonia strengthened its international profile, leading efforts to strengthen security and cooperation in the Baltic region. Despite the tensions, she managed to maintain the country's internal stability and consolidate Estonia's position as a reliable ally within the European Union and NATO. As High Representative, whose appointment symbolises a shift in European foreign policy in favour of a pragmatic perspective that is close to the geopolitical realities of the countries bordering Russia, she will face the challenge of extending her leadership beyond Europe, consolidating the EU's influence in regions such as Africa, Latin America and Asia. Her experience as a negotiator and her ability to forge consensus among the 27 Member States will be key to addressing global crises and strengthening the EU's position in a multipolar world. On her first international trip as High Representative, Kallas accompanied the new President of the European Council, António Costa, and the new Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, on a visit to Kyiv this Sunday to convey to President Volodymyr Zelensky that military and financial support for Ukraine will continue to be a priority for the European Union. For his part, Josep Borrell - former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2018 and 2019 - took stock on November 30 of his five years at the head of the European Union's External Action Service, which were marked, he said, by "the COVID-19 pandemic and its geoeconomic consequences, the imperialist war of aggression launched by Vladimir Putin against Ukraine, trampling on the United Nations Charter; the conflict in the Middle East and the difficulties in ensuring respect for international law and humanitarian law, and the tensions in the South China Sea and the repeated violations of the international law of the sea."
