The Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, has outlined a complex scenario on an international scale due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The war, he has pointed out, "will last for many years, it is the war of one man, Vladimir Putin, and we have to guarantee not only the integrity of Ukraine but also some values, of democracy". This long war, according to the minister's analysis, will be accompanied – in fact it already is – by a serious food crisis, a food insecurity that will especially affect the countries of North Africa and the Sahel, a very fragile area.
In the "Forums of Vanguard" colloquium, with the collaboration of Indra, Enagas and Correos, Albares pointed out that Russia's "illegal aggression" is shaping a new world that is just now beginning to glimpse. A new world in which the conflict between a democratic and an authoritarian model is settled. And at the same time it is essential that the European Union can guarantee its economic and energy independence.
In this sense, he made reference to the possible energy connections through Spain, and especially to the MidCat. This, he has commented, is no longer a bilateral issue between Spain and France, but concerns the entire EU. The European Commission now has on the table the recovery of this project in a short period of time.
The minister highlighted the importance of the next NATO summit, which will be held in June in Madrid to deal with both the war in Ukraine and this new world that is being targeted. The aim is to give a resounding response to the Russian challenge and the threats from the southern flank will also be analysed. In this context, he pointed out that the Sahel and Mali are now the epicenter of the terrorist threat. Cybersecurity, the political use of illegal immigration and the cutting off of energy supplies as a political weapon will also be analysed. Issues that may enter the security agenda.
