PARTICIPATION IN THE FAES DIALOGUES SPAIN’S POSITION TOWARDS LATIN AMERICA: CRISIS OF CREDIBILITY AND PRESENCE

On March 18, Javier Zarzalejos, together with Javier Salafranca, Deputy Secretary General of the European People’s Party, Director of Foreign Policy and Advisor, participated in a dialogue on Spain’s position towards Latin America, moderated by Mira Milosevich, Professor of International Relations and member of the Board of Trustees of FAES. The participants highlighted the lack of priority given to the region in the foreign agenda of our country and of Europe as a whole, despite the strategic relevance of the continent in the world order.

Javier Zarzalejos considered that “if Spain does not make the reality of Latin America visible in Europe, nobody is going to do it”. He also stressed that “Latin America is an indispensable partner for the environmental transition that Europe is proposing” and an “essential component of the new strategic balances in the world”. “We have a privileged tool for understanding and projection, which is the common language,” he recalled.

In his opinion, “a more adult and balanced relationship” with the region is necessary, although “Latin America’s own internal evolution” also hinders relations. “Difficult successions in power arise in Latin America, populisms emerge and in Spain, since José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero took office, we have entered into a strictly ideological and dogmatic vision of foreign policy that prevents us from having that inclusive look that Latin America requires,” he said.  “That is where the continuity of a policy in relation to Latin America that dates back to the previous 15-20 years begins to be put in crisis,” he added.

For the MEP, “there has to be a change of government”, because this one “feels more comfortable with dictators than with democrats in Latin America”.