The President of the United States, Joe Bidenexcluded the head of the Spanish government, the socialist Pedro Sánchez, from the farewell meeting held this Friday in Berlin with European leaders, including the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz; the president of France, Emmanuel Macron; and the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. Instead of participating in this summit at the Federal Chancellery, where Biden met these European leaders for the last time before the next US elections November 5Sánchez was in Leuven this Friday with the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexandre de Croovisiting the headquarters of the Interuniversity Center for Microelectronics (IMEC).
Precisely in Berlin, after meeting the leader of the German opposition and president of the CDU, Frédéric Merzthe leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, criticized the fact that Pedro Sánchez was not invited to Friday’s meeting in Berlin between Biden, Scholz, Macron and Starmer. The president of the PP emphasized, contrary to what happened on this occasion, In 2016 he was invited then president of the Spanish government, Mariano Rajoyat a similar summit in the German capital. In this case, the President of the United States saying goodbye was Barack Obama, he shared a table with the leaders Angela Merkel (Germany), François Hollande (France), Therese May (United Kingdom) and Matteo Renzi (Italy). On this occasion, the Italian Prime Minister was not present, Georgia Meloni.
“I must regret it “The president of my country was not invited to this meeting.”Feijóo said in Berlin after meeting with Merz and meeting with the Confederation of German Professional Associations.
Feijóo began his appearance before the media in Berlin focusing on this absence of Sánchez, declaring that he was “aware that today” journalists “are very attentive to the visit of President Biden” to the city, where he would have said “with the leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom” to respond “together the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine”.
It is in this context that the current leader of the opposition in Spain regretted that Pedro Sánchez was not present at this summit of European leaders and pointed out that eight years ago Mariano Rajoy had been invited to a meeting similar. “I remember that President Rajoy, in 2016, was one of the guests and speakers on Obama’s latest visit in this same city”, underlined Feijóo in Berlin.
The PP president attributed Sánchez’s absence in this photo in Berlin to the erratic foreign policy of the Spanish government. “Now, probably we pay our lack of a relevant foreign policy,” he underlined.
Biden’s visit to Germany is first and last officially in its almost four years mandate. Although the President of the United States attended the 2022 United States Summit Group of Seven (G7) In Elmau, Bavaria, and on other occasions stopping to refuel his government plane at the Ramstein military base, he had not yet dedicated a solo trip to Germany, nor planned a farewell meeting with the main European leaders.
The goal of this trip, as the White House reports in a statement, is to “coordinate geopolitical priorities, including the defense of Ukraine against aggression and “events in the Middle East”. Biden “will also reaffirm his commitment to democracy and its fight against hatred and anti-Semitism,” Washington announced about a visit which, in principle, was planned for last week, but which had to be postponed due to the devastating Hurricane Milton.
Hamas applause
Since Joe Biden arrived at the White House almost four years ago, Sánchez has continued to seek several bilateral meetings with his American counterpart. But It’s only June 2022when Spain organized the NATO summit, when it held that first solo meeting with Biden at the Moncloa Palace. It should be noted, however, that as a courtesy, the President of the United States always meets with the host of these conclaves. This meeting with Sánchez was therefore not something exceptional. A few months later, now in 2023, Biden invited him to the Oval Office, after parading before him, all the great leaders of the EU.
Failure of the Spanish government to respect its commitment to improve its economic contribution within the framework of NATOjoins the position that the Sánchez executive has maintained in the Middle East by siding with Palestinepromoting its recognition without consensus, receiving applause from the terrorists of Hamas and led several diplomatic crises with Israel.
This Friday, Biden and Scholz affirmed that the death of the top Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwarin the hands of Israel opens the door to finding a path to peace in the Gaza Strip. “This is an opportunity to seek a path to peacefor a better future in Gaza without Hamas,” declared the American president.
While the German Chancellor said he hoped that with Sinwar’s death “a concrete perspective will open up to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and an agreement for the release of hostages in the hands of Hamas.
