Felipe VI claims NATO and that the EU assume "more responsibilities" in defense during the opening of the A Toxa forum

The monarch opens for the fourth consecutive year an event "consolidated as a key reference point for debate and reflection" that exceeds "the national framework"

THE TOXA, THE GROVE (PONTEVEDRA), 29 Sep. (EUROPE PRESS) -

King Felipe VI has underlined that the war in Ukraine has highlighted the validity of the "Atlantic link" represented by NATO and the importance of the European Union assuming "greater responsibilities" in the field of security and defense for, thus, "minimize vulnerabilities and excessive dependencies".

The monarch has been in charge of opening the fourth edition of the La Toja - Vínculo Atlántico Forum, which will bring together different leaders from the world of politics and the economy from this Thursday to Saturday on the island of A Toxa, which belongs to the municipality Pontevedra of O Grove.

The king has underlined that the space for debate that the island of Arousa has hosted since 2019 has managed to "consolidate itself" as "a key benchmark for debate and reflection" that has been able to achieve "a projection that exceeds the strictly national framework".

Felipe IV's intervention was preceded by those of the Galician chief executive, Alfonso Rueda, and the president of the Hotusa hotel group, Amancio López Seijas; the latter promoter of the event that has been held at the beginning of autumn for four years.

There, the Spanish monarch has dedicated a large part of his speech to analyzing the scenario left by Russia's "illegal and unjustified aggression" to Ukraine, a country to which he has extended his "deepest admiration" for the "firmness" of his government , the "will, capacity and courage" of its armed forces and the "suffering endurance" of its population.

"Far from the demoralization and division among its population, the violence unleashed against Ukraine has resulted in an extraordinary bond of unity and solidarity," said Felipe VI, before stressing that this "heroic resistance" goes beyond defending its territory. "It is the fight for a democratic and open society," he added.

His Majesty, in charge of opening this forum in the four editions that have been held to date, has quoted part of his speech at the opening last year when, months before the Russian invasion, when he appealed for the involvement of all of society to defend the rights and freedoms won over the years.

"We are all part of it. I pointed it out in 2021 and I felt obliged to recover it this year, in which this approach remains fully valid", he remarked before stressing that the "Russian aggression" has put on the table the validity of " Atlantic link" and NATO, as well as the transformation of the globalization process in which, according to Felipe VI, "the concept of security will increasingly prevail".

After underlining the need for the European Union "to play a proactive role from the geopolitical point of view, assuming greater responsibilities in the field of security", the monarch has analyzed the consequences of the armed conflict in economic terms, since it has unleashed "inflationary processes unknown for decades".

"The new monetary policy of the central banks, more restrictive, must go hand in hand with attention to economic growth and the evolution of the labor market", he asserted, then recognized that it is a task "not at all simple", especially in a context "of transition towards new energy models based on clean energy".

After drawing attention to the extension of today's wars outside the "classical" frameworks with new weapons and battlefields such as "disinformation" and cybersecurity, Felipe VI has appealed to reflect on the role of Latin America, which, in his opinion, is undergoing "profound social and political changes" but which must maintain its ties with the countries on the other side of the Atlantic.

The monarch made one of the final parts of his speech in Galician, during which he praised the location of this forum with an "Iberian and Atlantic vocation" that takes place, as he recalled, in the "most Atlantic and western" region of Spain.

"The Camino de Santiago is a magnificent example of cultural attraction and integration that undeniably contributed to forging European and Western identity", added Felipe VI before predicting that the fourth edition of the forum held in A Toxa "will contribute, as in the previous ones, approaches and perspectives of great utility".

"It is a pleasure to accompany you in your evolution, which is also that of a society that is not afraid to tackle issues no matter how complex and delicate they may be", he concluded.

This year, the forum has awarded the prize that bears his name to the Ukrainian people for their "resistance" against the Russian invasion. The Ukrainian ambassador to Spain, Serhii Pohoreltsev, has been in charge of collecting the award from King Felipe VI.

Next, the representative of the Ukrainian Government took the floor to thank the citizens of his country for the gesture of organizing the forum, a gratitude that he extended to all of Spain, a country that, he says, "has played and continues to play a special role" in helping to confront "Russian barbarism".

"The success of our fight would not have been possible without the help of our partner and friendly countries," added the ambassador before emphasizing the reception of refugees and the shipment of weapons "that Ukraine needs so much".

Thus, he has appealed for this support to continue to achieve "success" against the invasion of Russia and put an end to the human tragedy unleashed.

Previously, the president of Hotusa, Amancio López Seijas, was in charge of opening the speeches in a hall of the convention forum on the island of A Toxa, which brought together personalities such as the Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares; the former Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy; the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo; the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and former Argentine President Mauricio Macri, among others.

The hotel businessman, who thanked the involvement of the "alma mater" of this event, former minister Josep Piqué; has underlined the importance of vindicating the values ​​of "liberal democracies" in "times of polarization, post-truth and the advance of autocratic forces."

In this way, and after thanking the king for attending the opening for yet another year, he stated that the La Toja Forum - Atlantic Link seeks to "propose a serene but profound reflection" to "seek security in the face of concern" by exercising "bridge between ways of thinking".