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European RoyalsSpain

King Felipe hosts NATO summit and important anniversary

King Felipe hosted a series of events connected with NATO’s summit taking place in Madrid, which, in turn, coincided with the 40th anniversary of Spain joining the Atlantic defence alliance. 

In the morning of Monday, 30 May, King Felipe, accompanied by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, arrived at Teatro Real, where the solemn commemoration of the anniversary was taking place at the presence of NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. 

Madrid’s Symphony Orchestra opened the ceremony by playing both the Spanish and NATO anthems before performing Beethoven’s Leonor Ouverture, from the opera Fidelio. 

It was then time for King Felipe to give a speech, in which he not only highlighted the incredible achievement that is such an anniversary for Spain, but also the tragic circumstances in which it is happening. 

“The unacceptable Russian aggression against Ukraine reminds us, and does so in a tragic way, the immense value in our lives of peace, security and democracy,” King Felipe said. 

After his speech, there were remarks by the Prime Minister and NATO’s secretary general, before there was a meeting among NATO’s former Secretaries General Willem Claes, Javier Solana, George Robertson and Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The event concluded with a summit of the Permanent Representatives to NATO of all 30 allied countries. 

It was then time for all of the participants to move to El Pardo Royal Palace, where King Felipe was joined by Queen Letizia as they hosted a lunch for all NATO authorities that arrived in Madrid for the summit. 

Authorities from NATO and its allies were joined by all living Spanish former Prime Ministers: Felipe Gonzales, José María Aznar and José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero. Also present were many Spanish political authorities, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, and the Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles. 

The NATO summit took place on 29 and 30 May and was centred around the defence industry, as well as setting the new goals for the 2030 agenda. Naturally, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and all of its consequences, were key topics of discussion, including the requests made by Finland and Sweden to become permanent members of the Alliance.