The King received the President of the United States, Joe Biden, at the Royal Palace, where he highlighted his “enormous satisfaction” at receiving the president of “the great American nation, a great friendly country”. Felipe VI has shown the key moment of the Madrid Summit in which “the allies must show unity”. “It is a very relevant summit to show unity and defend freedom,” he stressed.
In another brief speech in the Hall of Columns, Biden thanked the welcome at the Royal Palace and highlighted the turning point that the world is experiencing and the importance of the Summit: “Things are changing dramatically,” Biden said, referring to the pandemic, to climate change and, above all, to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
“We must remain united, we must win to show the power of democracies,” Biden said, stressing that “we share common values.”
Before that meeting, and after receiving Biden at the Torrejón de Ardoz air base, the King gave a speech at the NATO Public Forum held at Ifema, an event organized by the Elcano Royal Institute, the German Marshall Fund, the Munich Security Conference and the Atlantic Council. On that occasion, Felipe VI stated that “the Madrid summit offers us the opportunity to reflect on the future of the Alliance and what appears to be a turning point in our history.”
“Today, as Europe strives for political and economic stability and social well-being, it faces the threat of an increasingly unstable neighborhood, both in the East and in the South,” Her Majesty explained, referring to the ” complex threat from a chronically unpredictable world.
On Spain’s role in NATO, Felipe VI explained that “a broader understanding of the transatlantic community must be developed, one that allows us to strengthen our connection with Africa and Latin America.” To serve that purpose, the King recalled that “our country is in an ideal position, both geopolitically and due to our shared desire to serve as a bridge between the Atlantic, Europe and the Mediterranean.”
