The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, and his Brazilian counterpart, Carlos Alberto Franco França, yesterday launched the new Brazil-Spain Bilateral Commission (CBBE), a flexible mechanism that provides a permanent structure for the multiple sectoral dialogues between the two countries.
According to a press release issued by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two ministers discussed other issues, such as the commitment to multilateralism in forums such as the Ibero-American Summits and the United Nations, where Brazil is beginning its mandate as a permanent member of the Security Council. Albares took the opportunity to congratulate Brazil on the start of negotiations to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The note adds that Albares and França also discussed economic issues and that the head of Spanish diplomacy assured his interlocutor that “Spain maintains its full confidence in Brazil’s growth potential”.
Albares added that Brazil is very important for our companies “thanks to the environment of legal stability and the unquestionable opportunities that the country offers”.
Likewise, Albares and França reiterated the commitment of both countries to the ratification of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, which they believe “will bring two regions that share values and interests closer together and will promote economic and social growth on both sides of the Atlantic”.
The two ministers also agreed that the pandemic is a good opportunity to deepen relations between the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the Agência Brasileira de Cooperação, especially in the field of horizontal and triangular cooperation.
In its note, the Foreign Ministry points out that this cooperation could be extended to the cultural sphere, with a view to the celebration of the bicentenary of Brazil’s independence or the great demand for Spanish language teaching in this South American country.
