The socialists take it for granted that the popular group will support in Congress and in the Senate the increase from four to six of the destroyer ships at the Rota naval base (Cádiz) and all the additional personnel
Spain and the US have updated their strategic relationship with a new document that updates the commitments made two decades ago. The meeting in Moncloa between the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the President of the United States, Joe Biden, produced this result: a reinforcement of collaboration between the two countries in all matters and, particularly, in military matters. The joint statement by Sánchez and Biden includes “strengthening the defense cooperation“.
The two countries have underlined their commitment to the Defense Cooperation Agreement of 1988, which regulates the shared use of the Rota and Morón (Seville) bases. But now it intends to expand with “the permanent stationing of additional US warships in Rota.” The presence of two new destroyers and all the additional military personnel that it entails, supposes an amendment to the 1988 agreement. The change must first be approved by the Council of Ministers and ratified later by the Cortes Generales.
The modification of the agreement may cause internal friction for the Government, between the PSOE and United We Can, and with some of its usual partners such as ERC and EH Bildu, which are formations, like United We Can, of a marked anti-militarist nature. But to get it to go ahead in Congress and the Senate, the PSOE has the foreseeable endorsement of the PP, as confirmed to this newspaper by socialist sources. “It is always what they have done in terms of defense,” they remember. Otherwise, it would be “a novelty”.
Along the same lines, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, assured this morning in an interview in La Ser, that “I understand that there will be no problem in this matter” and that the Cortes will approve it. But the most relevant message this Wednesday from the Chief Executive was addressed to United We Can, to whom he has asked for a “reflection”. “Neither Europe nor NATO is made with expansionist whims. That reflection has to be made and deterrence capabilities must be increased.” “This is a territory where we are going to defend our way of life, imperfect, but in an international order with rules,” he insisted. In his opinion it is a matter on which “there is no debate”.
Moncloa sources pointed out yesterday that they have months working with the US on this expansion of American military power at the base in Cadiz. In the appearance before the media of Biden and Sánchez, which took place without questions, the US president indicated that this increase “it will help the bilateral relationship” with Spain and that he hopes that the approval will take place “sooner than later”. Spain is an “indispensable ally” within NATO, she remarked.
18 points
The joint declaration of the United States and Spain includes 18 points in which both nations aspire to strengthen their ties, at a time when the world has again divided into blocs. The two countries are on the same side to strengthen “military responses to transatlantic and global challenges” and “defend democracy, human rights and gender equality”. But also to “intensify collaboration in matters of security and justice.”
This means more cooperation in the fight against terrorism, cybercrime, drug trafficking and human trafficking. Another of the agreements is the promotion of “safe, orderly and regular migration”, with a “comprehensive” approach to the management of irregular migratory flows that guarantees “fair and humane treatment”.
According to Moncloa, Biden has shown interest during the meeting in the regular migration agreements that Spain signs with other countries such as Honduras and many African nations. In this sense, the text refers to the strengthening of legal channels “with special emphasis on Latin America and the Caribbean”, which is the immigration received by the United States, and “the importance of permanent cooperation” due to “the challenges of irregular migration” in the region of North Africa, which is the one that reaches Spain.
Less dependency on Moscow
At a time when Russia has put the EU’s energy supply in check, the joint statement by Sánchez and Biden also includes a mention of “joint actions” to “improve Europe’s energy security and reduce dependence on fossil fuels” from Moscow. It is committed to collaborating to “increase the geographical diversification of energy sourcesespecially natural gas”. The US is currently Spain’s main supplier of liquefied gas, which arrives by ship and is then regasified at our country’s plants.
Sánchez and Biden met for an hour in Moncloa. At 4:12 p.m., twelve minutes later than the scheduled time, the US president arrived aboard his armored car, the Beast, and the chief executive received him at the foot of the stairs. They climbed the five steps, greeted the charts, and proceeded to their first formal meeting. After dispatching together, they appeared before the media around five in the afternoon. The US president was accompanied by the Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken; the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, and the National Security Adviser of the White House, Jake Sullivan. With the socialist leader, for their part, were the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, José Manuel Albares and Margarita Robles, who, together with the King, received Biden on the runway, at the Torrejón de Ardoz air base (Madrid), once Air Force One had made landfall (at 15:04, coming from Germany).
“Indispensable Ally”
Spain is hosting a “truly unique” historic summit, perhaps the most important in 70 years of NATO’s life. It is an “indispensable ally”, as defined by the president of the United States, Joe Biden, on Tuesday. A few words that are a boost to the Executive of Pedro Sánchez, who, however, also urges him to approve “as soon as possible” the increase in destroyers at the Rota base (Cádiz). And it is that after Washington’s proposal, it is now the task of the Government and the Courts to materialize this reinforcement of military capacity, and the socialist leader may encounter the foreseeable resistance of United We Can and his usual parliamentary partners.