Sánchez underlines the results of a historic Summit: an Atlantic Alliance and its partners united in the face of global threats

Madrid Trade Fair and Exhibiton Center (IFEMA) , Madrid

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, today took part in the final session of the NATO Summit; a meeting with historic results that was held in Madrid on 29 and 30 June and attended by the 30 Allied countries, the four Asia-Pacific partners (Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand), as well as Sweden, Finland and Georgia, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in addition to the ministers of Jordan, Mauritania and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During the 'Madrid Summit', the Heads of State and Government discussed issues such as Russia's war against Ukraine and the current situation in the country after more than four months since the start of the invasion. During this part of the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke via video conference. In this regard, NATO has strengthened Deterrence and Defence capabilities and increased military presence on the eastern flank. "The illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated the need to stand together and confront the capacity of Putin's Russia to destroy peace in Europe, the threat to global energy and food security, and has brought us back to the worst moment in our history", Sánchez stressed.

During the Summit, leaders agreed to increase common funds. In this regard, Sánchez reiterated that Spain will meet its commitment to NATO and the EU to allocate 2% of GDP to the defence budget. "The government is already working on increasing defence investment this year, and the proposal that I am going to put before the Spanish Parliament is to reach this 2% over a period of eight years, i.e., until 2029. I want this proposal to be a country-wide agreement to defend and guarantee what has been called into question and put at risk by Putin's war in Ukraine, and that is the security of Europe and also to guarantee and reinforce the security of Spain".

The leaders also addressed the global challenges facing the Alliance, and endorsed the 'Madrid Strategic Concept', a document that will guide the future of the organisation, which states that Russia is "the most direct and significant threat" to transatlantic security and highlights the challenge posed by China. In addition, significant mention was made of the South and, in particular, the Sahel, "one of Spain's greatest concerns due to its instability and the risks derived from it in terms of irregular migrant flows, terrorism, food and energy crises", the president explained.

The 30 Alliance leaders also agreed on the 'Madrid Declaration', a document that addresses the current security situation and refers to partners participating in the Summit alongside Allies.

On Sweden and Finland's membership of NATO, the head of the Executive pointed out that it is "the best proof of the value of the Alliance, as an organisation that aspires to defend peace and an international order based on rules, which is what Putin is calling into question".

The Allies addressed the relationship with the European Union, which the Madrid Strategic Concept considers a strategic partner of NATO. This union was reflected yesterday at the Euro-Atlantic dinner at the Museo Nacional del Prado where, as the president - the driving force behind the meeting - emphasised, "for the first time all the allies and all the members of the EU sat around the same table, highlighting the important synergies that derive from the complementary relationship between the two organisations".

Before the start of today's first session, Spain became a member of the 'Innovation Fund', together with 21 other countries; a venture capital initiative to support start-ups developing key and dual-use technologies with high technological potential. This fund plans to invest around 1 billion euros over 15 years, of which 60 million euros will be invested in Spain. The Fund aims to seek cutting-edge solutions to the Alliance's security and defence challenges and to foster NATO's technology innovation ecosystem.

Southern Neighbourhood

During the morning meeting, the final of the Summit, the 30 Allies discussed the Southern Neighbourhood and analysed the threats and challenges in this region of the world. The Government of Spain fully supports an increasing focus on NATO's Southern Flank on the Alliance's agenda, which, as the president stressed, "continues to grow in number and scope". For this reason, Spain, which supports the priority of reinforcing the Eastern Flank, considers it essential to have a 360º approach to security because, as the president pointed out, "the threats coming from the South are increasingly Russian threats".

In this regard, the 'Madrid Strategic Concept' - endorsed yesterday by the 30 Allies - underlines the direct threat that terrorism poses to the security of citizens, as well as to international stability and prosperity. Indeed, as the president has stressed, terrorism is considered one of the main threats emanating from the South.

The president concluded his speech by underlining: "The Madrid Summit has stressed the importance of NATO to our peace and security. For Spain, it has been a great opportunity to project the image of a modern country committed to peace and international security. We Spaniards should be proud of the outcome of the Summit, as it increases Spain's prestige and strengthens our foreign policy.

Non official translation