Spain wants to include the war in Ukraine in the declaration of the Ibero-American Summit, according to Albares

The minister downplays the absence of leaders: "There will be no empty chair"

SANTO DOMINGO, March 24. (From the special envoy of EUROPA PRESS, Leyre Guijo) -

Spain has made "several proposals" in relation to the war in Ukraine for its inclusion in the final declaration of the Ibero-American Summit that starts this Friday in Santo Domingo, according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares. .

In statements after his arrival accompanying King Felipe VI, the minister indicated that Spain will raise the issue of the conflict during the summit and he will address it in the meeting that he will hold this Friday with the foreign ministers of the 22 countries participating in the summit.

As he has specified, "Spain has presented several proposals in relation to Ukraine" with a view to the text of the final declaration that is being debated, although it has not gone into detail about what line that mention of the conflict would be, taking into account the division that generated among the countries of the region.

Albares has limited himself to emphasizing that the Spanish position is already "sufficiently known" and is based on the fact that supporting Ukraine means not only defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity but also "the most elementary principles of the United Nations charter" . "What we want is a just peace and within the principles of the UN Charter," he added.

The war in Ukraine is not on the summit's agenda, although the head of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), Andrés Allamand, had assumed that various leaders could raise it during the plenary sessions.

All in all, the former Chilean minister stressed that the Ibero-American Community works by consensus and that is why in order to carry out any proposal or text, the approval of the 22 countries is needed, something that seems complicated in an issue as divisive as the conflict, in which some countries like Venezuela and Nicaragua have supported the theses of Moscow.

On the other hand, Albares has downplayed the fact that several leaders are not going to attend the Santo Domingo meeting. "There won't be any absences, there won't be any empty seats" but rather "all countries will be represented at a very high level", he defended.

Those in which the head of state cannot attend will be represented by his vice president or his chancellor, he pointed out, arguing that the important thing in the Ibero-American summits "is not who but what contributes" each country and everyone is participating in the debate both the final declaration and the rest of the documents to be adopted.

In the case of Spain, it is always represented by the King and by the President of the Government as a clear sign of the importance given to the Ibero-American Community, it has influenced.

According to the latest data provided by the Dominican authorities, in their capacity as hosts, 14 presidents will travel to Santo Domingo. Among those who are known not to be there are the one from Brazil, Luiz Inazio Lula da Silva; Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador; Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega; El Salvador, Nayib Bukele; and Peru, Dina Boluarte.

The Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, is a doubt until the last moment, although initially he was expected in Santo Domingo, where the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, will attend, for what will be his first summit.

The minister has emphasized that this will be the first fully face-to-face summit since 2018, while explaining that for Spain it will serve as a prelude to the rotating Presidency of the EU in the second semester, in which Latin America will be "one of the big priorities.

The meeting, he added, will make it possible to talk with many of the countries that will participate in the summit between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in mid-July in Brussels and "begin to press their expectations" about said appointment.

"Spain wants 2023 to be the year of Latin America in Europe and that Latin America is definitely at the heart of the European agenda, with a powerful work program and financing," he stressed.

In another vein, when asked about the situation in Haiti, Albares highlighted Spain's "commitment" to the country, where the embassy has been kept open at all times and has announced that the director of the AECID will soon travel to the country, Anton Leis.

"It is necessary for the international community to look towards Haiti," he defended, assuring that "Spain will be part of any formula to support Haiti" because it is concerned about the situation in this country.