Everything was ready. It would be an official visit to Jordan that the Spanish and Hashemite royal houses had been preparing for months. Photographers rubbed their hands thinking of the image of the two queens, Rania and Letiziaentering the Royal Palace of Ammantwo of the world’s most glamorous royals together in the same shot.
However, the very delicate situation in the region has meant that the official trip of the kings to Jordan remains in the shortest possible version: 24 hours in the country and Philip VI the one who moves solowithout Letizia and without the group of Spanish businessmen who would accompany him to establish commercial relations with the country.
“There was no doubt about the need to go there, it may even be that with the new circumstances the presence of the King will be more important. What was clear, since Tuesday, is that it would be necessary it is shorter, with fewer ceremonies, without anything business or glamorous, and without Queen Felipe VI. with a clear mission and the task you requested the governmentWell, you don’t need to ask him, the Constitution gives him this fundamental role,” explains a source close to Zarzuela.
“It’s true that security advised not to make the trip, logical. But they didn’t like it when the king left in Lebanon visit the Spanish troops assigned there to the UN mission, and as he himself says, they are professional risks“adds the same person. It must be remembered that the Spanish Magna Carta, in its article 97, stipulates that it is the government which directs foreign policy, but that it is the head of state who makes “the highest representation of the Spanish State. in international relations.
This trip to Lebanon took place year 2015during his first visit as monarch to Spanish troops abroad. This choice was not a coincidence, as it was a significant memory for the corporal. Francisco Javier Soria Toledodied on January 28 at his monitoring post at the UN mission in Ghayar (southern border) after an Israeli attack.
The visit to the Hashemite kingdom that the Head of State will make responds to a invitation from Abdullah II. The date, which was initially chosen, was October 5 to 7. The reason for this decision was “a propitious opportunity to express the desire to continue strengthening the deep ties that exist between Jordan and Spain.”
The value of Felipe VI
However, after the exchange of missiles between Lebanon and Israel, the reason for the head of state’s trip changed: “It doesn’t matter. that the government realizes the great value that Felipe VI has in international relations and much more, in a field he knows so well. Pedro Sánchez wants to make Spain a possible country mediator in the Middle East. The role of Jordan and its king in everything that happens in the region is fundamental, and the relationship of our monarch with Abdallah is almost fraternal, so who better than him to position us? And the king did not hesitate to go there at any time,” he says.
Yesterday, Thursday, Felipe VI referred to this conflict, a fundamental issue in the trip he is going to make, which has passed official has work trip on the agenda of the House of the King. It was during the inauguration of VI edition of the La Toja-Vínculo Atlántico Foruman event during which he presented the annual prize of this event to the High Representative for Foreign Policy of the EU, Joseph Borrelland where he called for achieving “shared, intelligent and united” solutions to global challenges and in the midst of a scenario of uncertainty in the world with two “horrible wars”, in reference to that of Ukraine and the Middle East conflict.
An event attended, among others, by the Minister of Justice, the Presidency and Relations with the Courts, Felix Bolanos; former government presidents Felipe Gonzalez And Mariano Rajoy; the President-elect of the European Council, Antonio Costa; and the presidents of Galicia (Alphonse Rueda) and the Balearic Islands (Marga Prohens). The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, who will travel with Felipe VI on Saturday and who never doubted that the trip would take place despite the events, was not present, since he closed an interview 24 hours ago with a Jordanian television channel. .
“Horrible wars”
In his speech at the event that took place in O Grove, Pontevedra, the monarch only made direct reference to the Middle East conflict, emphasizing that the world is experiencing a scenario characterized by widespread conflict and in which ” two of the horrible wars, referring to what this region and Ukraine are experiencing, continue to cause death, suffering and destruction. instability has become a habit This adds to the long list of challenges facing Western democracies. Security, diversification of the economy, promotion of the energy transition, erosion of ecosystems, the impact of artificial intelligence, the growing polarization of societies or the management of migration are just some of the challenges to be addressed in the short term. in the medium term,” he added.
In his speech, the Head of State wanted to emphasize the important role played by the European Union in these conflicts. “We cannot fail. We must find a way to do even more, to get a multiplier effect from our efforts. Spain and Europe deserve it and they need it. Let us give 100% to live up to what our times demand of us,” he added.
Philip VI praised Borrell’s work as high representative of EU foreign policy, ensuring that he has spared no effort to ensure that Europe maintains or increases its capacity for action, influence and representation in the world.
He said his tenure in the role “has been anything but calm” but, despite difficulties, he has succeeded that the voice of Europe be heard as a reference in terms of values, respect for international law and democratic commitment and human rights “from Palestine to Venezuela, via Ukraine or the Sahel”.
