The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ignacio Ybáñez, met with the Leaders
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The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ignacio Ybáñez, made some opening remarks during the institutional meeting with the Australian Leaders at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Torres Ágora): “The Spain Australia Council Foundation is a public diplomacy tool which is backed by the Ministry to bring the societies of the two countries closer together. The Chairmanships held by Antonio Garrigues and Juan Miguel Villar Mir reflect the significant importance of the Council Foundation for the Spanish public-private sector in its efforts to strengthen bilateral relations, which have improved over the past few years in both quantity and quality.”
According to the Secretary of State, cooperation between the two countries takes place at several levels beyond business contracts. High-profile visits have taken place, including one by King Juan Carlos I of Spain in 2009 and another by Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb with the European Business Council, which was the first foreign delegation to be received by King Felipe VI of Spain. “Politically speaking, Australia plays an all-important role in the Spanish Government’s new foreign strategy, which is devised to extend our collaboration in the future with this country. Australia has become a major player in the Asia-Pacific region, with great opportunities thanks to its dynamic economy,” said Ignacio Ybáñez.
He also said he believes it to be crucial for Spain to be present in multilateral international forums and continue to organise institutional visits to work side by side with the Government of Australia: “At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we would also like to include civil society in this process, with initiatives such as the Work and Holidays scheme signed by Minister José Manuel García Margallo during his visit to Australia in September 2014.” Other opportunities have included the G20 summit in Brisbane, presided over by Australia and attended by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy; Australia’s seat as a non-permanent member on the UN Security Council and the two countries’ joint presence in NATO missions all over the world.
During the meeting, the participants emphasised the need for more Australian companies to operate in Spain, which might be facilitated by the progress underway in negotiations for a Free-Trade Agreement between Australia and the European Union. This FTA was a topic that attracted the interest of the Australian MPs and could be further supported by the visit by Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop to Brussels in April.
The meeting was also attended by Javier García de Viedma, Deputy Director General for the United Nations and Global Affairs; Emilio de Miguel, Deputy Director General for the Pacific, Southeast Asia and the Philippines; Antonio Millán, Deputy Director General for Foreign Relations and Trade and Ignacio García-Valdecasas, Head of Institutional Affairs at the Office of the High Commissioner for Brand Spain (Marca España) and Borja Crotés-Bretón, advisor to the Secretary of State.
2015 Australian Leaders Programme report
