As US President Donald Trump attempted to rewrite the international order, Spain did not attend the so-called ‘Board of Peace’ presentation and confirmed it will not form part of the organisation for now, preferring to wait for an EU position.
Spain did not attend US President Donald Trump’s so-called ‘Board of Peace’ presentation, the country’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has confirmed.
Speaking in an interview on Spanish news show La hora de la 1, Albares stated that Spain was not present at the presentation Trump made at Davos on Thursday and added that he has spoken with European partners to establish a “common position” among European Union member states.
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Some in Europe fear that Trump’s proposed board, which will likely include Israel, Pakistan, Hungary and perhaps even Russia, among other members, is an attempt to sideline the UN as an international body. Pessimists see it as a play to rewrite the international order and usher in a new era of foreign affairs no longer underpinned by multilateralism and international law.
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Albares added that the decision on whether or not Spain will eventually form part of the project will be announced in due course by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
“Any announcements on this matter will be made by the Prime Minister. I have been talking to our European Union partners over the last few days to try to reach a common position on this issue and today (…) I will not be attending that meeting,” Albares said.
“We have a clear position, which is to try to reach a common European position based on the principles of the United Nations Charter, which respects international law and always helps to achieve a just and lasting peace in Gaza. But on this matter, please allow me not to say any more, because it will be the Prime Minister who will make the announcement when the time comes,” he reiterated.
Spain has in recent years occupied something of an outlier position on foreign affairs for a European nation. The country has been a world leading pro-Palestinian voice and Sánchez, one of the continent’s few leftist leaders, has balked at US demands for increased defence spending to 5 percent of GDP.
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Trump, who is in Switzerland for the Davos summit, presented the board on Thursday and during the signing ceremony once again criticised Spain’s defence spending: “Every country agreed 5 percent apart from Spain,” he said, suggesting that Washington may “have a word” with Madrid.
So far, reports suggest that countries including Indonesia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Pakistan, Argentina, Hungary, Morocco, Kosovo and Paraguay have committed to joining.
Trump’s unpredictability and escalatory rhetoric on Greenland has likely focused European minds, however, and many EU member states have been more reticent amid recent tariff threats from Washington. Both Norway and France have declined, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has cooled on the idea, media reports suggest.
According to reports in the UK press, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has ruled out British participation in the ceremony due to the possible inclusion of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During recent talks between NATO allies, Albares said that Spain has clearly outlined its position on Greenland: “If there is any security need in the Arctic, if there are new threats in the Arctic, it is part of Euro-Atlantic security, and NATO allies are willing to talk among ourselves”.
“The principle of sovereign equality and territorial integrity of states” is non-negotiable, he added, reiterating “Spain’s solidarity and support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Denmark”.
