As the current holder of the Presidency of the EU Council, Spain was designated to host the 3rd Summit of the European Political Community (EPC).
And so the city of Granada opened the doors to one of its most iconic places, the Alhambra, for King Felipe and Queen Letizia to welcome leaders attending the Summit.
Before the dinner, King Felipe and a Spanish delegation met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Qubba patio of the St Francis Convent.
Before the serious discussions began, there were a few lighter moments. When the King introduced the acting Foreign Minister, he said, “I think you two have met before,” to which the Minister replied, “Yes, of course, but it’s always good to see you again.”
Then, when it came time for President Zelenskyy to introduce his own delegation, King Felipe turned towards him and said: “And they are… I don’t know if you’ve met them before,” eliciting laughter on both sides.
For the dinner, King Felipe was joined by Queen Letizia in welcoming presidents and prime ministers from EU countries and members of the EPC, as well as EU officials, like Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel and Roberta Metsola.
Both the King and Queen were seen exchanging warm greetings with certain leaders, in particular French President Emmanuel Macron, who appeared to be the last one in the lineup.
After posing for the traditional photograph, the leaders, most of whom were accompanied by their spouses, sat in the Pratal gardens to watch a flamenco performance.
It was then time for dinner, which took place at Granada’s Parador. King Felipe offered a few words to his guests, highlighting the importance of Granada as a multicultural centre, both in history and in modern times. Its university is ranked among the first for exchange activities in the context of the EU’s Erasmus programme.
The Summit proper took place on Friday, with many topics and issues on the table: from the migrant crisis to the war in Ukraine, from the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan to climate change policies, the EPC was created in June 2022 on the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron to “promote political dialogue and cooperation to face issues of common interest and strengthen security, stability and prosperity on the European continent.”
