STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY FOR EUROPE
AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS SPOKESPERSON
Spain ? Meeting between Mme Catherine Colonna and her counterpart, mr Jose Manuel Albares
6 June 2022
Mme Catherine Colonna, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, received her Spanish counterpart, Mr José Manuel Albares, today.
Mme Colonna recalled the importance of our close cooperation, recently characterized by the entry into force of an agreement on dual Franco-Spanish nationality allowing human ties between our peoples to be deepened. She signalled our desire to make progress on the preparation of a treaty of friendship and cooperation between our two countries, which will strengthen our partnership in many areas, including at the service of Europe.
The two ministers talked about the Russian aggression in Ukraine and its consequences. Mme Colonna called for continued support for Ukraine and reiterated the importance of the sixth package of sanctions adopted by the European Union against Russia. She highlighted the need to act to increase food security.
As the European Council of 23 and 24 June approaches, Mme Colonna reiterated her support for the Western Balkans to be more strongly anchored to Europe and talked about the plan for a European political community which President Macron presented on 9 May. She also attached importance to the relationship between the Strategic Concept and the Strategic Compass, ahead of the next NATO summit, which will be held in Madrid on 29 and 30 June.
Mme Colonna stressed the importance of continuing to work on strengthening Europe's sovereignty, which is the guiding theme of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union, concluding at the end of the month, with the Spanish presidency taking place in the second half of 2023.