“We must become attractive to Australia”

The 2016 Leaders met at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ignacio Ybáñez, and the Director General for North America and Asia-Pacific, Fidel Sendagorta, with whom they analysed Spanish- Australian relations and Australia's ties with the EU.

Ignacio Ybáñez opened the meeting by highlighting the areas of interest shared by the Spain and Australia at the UN Security Council, as well as international maritime security and cyber-security, as examples of potential areas for multilateral cooperation.

The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs also emphasised the UK's departure from the EU as one more reason to tighten bilateral relations. Spain, he said, has significant interest in Australia – this is demonstrated every time registration opens for Work and Holiday visas – and it is important to work towards making this interest mutual. Likewise, it is crucial to intensify Spain’s presence at an institutional level, even though there have been more Spaniards visiting Australia than vice versa.

When the Leaders asked about the reasons for these asymmetrical relations between Spain and Australia, Fidel Sendagorta explained that there are many Spanish companies with businesses and interests in Australia, but very few Australian companies investing in Spain.

He also emphasised student exchange programmes as a way to improve Spanish visibility in Australia. “We must become attractive to Australia, as Australia has been attractive to Spain for years,” he said.

The Leaders showed great interest in finding out how Spanish foreign policy works in relation to the European Union. Ignacio Ybáñez explained that the two complement each other, as Spain participates in the EU decision-making process. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs said that Spain is committed to the European project and that being a member is positive for the country, both politically and economically.

During the meeting, the participants discussed current affairs such as the Paris agreements, which Spain has been unable to ratify until now due to the lack of a working government, as well as Spain's energy policy, its relations with neighbouring countries and the impact of international politics on the US elections.

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