The Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation, Jose Manuel Albares, has ruled out possible concessions to Mexico after the absence of King Felipe VI from the list of guests at the investiture of the elected president, Claudia Sheinbaum, and has promised that the Government will “always” defend Spanish institutions, “starting with the head of state.”
Albares has referred during a press conference in New York to the statement that his Ministry already released on Tuesday to criticize the rudeness to the King and has confirmed that he also sent a verbal note of protest to the Mexican ambassador in Madrid, Quirino Ornaz, that same day. Within the framework of the high-level week of the UNhas also communicated “exactly the same thing” to her counterpart Alicia Bárcena.
“Spain, of course, wants to maintain the best relations with a sister nation like that of Mexicobut We are not going to accept that there is representation at any other level different from that of the head of state”, Albares has argued, shortly after Bárcena herself raised in another appearance also in New York the possibility of holding a “redress meeting”. Albares, who has not expressly evaluated this proposal, has sentenced: “With Mexico and with any other country in the world, as long as I am Minister of Foreign Affairs, Spain’s foreign policy will always, always defend our institutions, starting with the highest, the Head of State.”
Another of the crises that has hovered over the meetings in recent days is that of Venezuela, which according to Albares continues to be the “main focus of concern” in all of Latin America. The head of Spanish diplomacy has appealed to dialogue to peacefully reach a “solution between Venezuelans and in Venezuela“, although the Government of Nicolás Maduro has not moved from its positions since the July 28 elections.
Albares has assumed that Chavismo is not going to publish the official records of said elections, without clarifying what the next one should be from an international point of view. In this sense, he has highlighted Spain’s initiative so that Venezuela continues to be subject of debate in the EU and his involvement in forums such as the one promoted on Thursday by the United States and from which a statement came out that gave the opponent Edmundo González for winner of the elections.
According to Albares, in said forum “no one proposed the recognition of Edmundo González as president-elect”, something that “It is not in the statement either.“. He is confident, however, that “the will democratically expressed by Venezuelans” will end up triumphing at the polls. Regarding the situation of the two Spaniards detained in Venezuela for their alleged involvement in a plot against the Government of Nicolas MaduroAlbares recalled that he requested information this week and directly from the Venezuelan vice chancellor, Rander Peña.
Spain wants to know “all the details”, starting with “where they are” and “what charges they are accused of” Andrés MartÃnez Adasme and José MarÃa Basoa Valdovinos, while seeking “direct contact” under the Convention Vienna on diplomatic relations. “Let no one have any doubt. From the ministry we will not spare any effort until these two compatriots unjustly detained in Venezuela are where they always had to be and how they always had to be, free, with their families, back in Spain,” he added.
Tension in the Middle East
On the other hand, Albares has expressed his concern about the situation in the Middle East, which is “extremely serious.” “War does not have to be the only way of relating in the Middle East,” defended the minister, who has met in recent days with counterparts in the area such as the Iranian, whom he has asked to exercise “all possible containment and influence” to calm scenarios like Lebanon.
“We are talking about bombings on a sovereign State,” he lamented, alluding to the chain of attacks launched in recent days by Israeli forces on Lebanese territory and which They have left hundreds of dead. Albares has called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages held by Hamas, with a view to moving towards a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.
