SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good morning everyone. It’s first of all a great, great pleasure to have my friend José Manuel here in Washington. In fact, again, we’ve worked so closely together these past years, and in fact, when Spain was hosting the NATO summit – of course, under José Manuel’s leadership, a terrific and important NATO summit. I’m looking to inspiration and advice from my friend as we prepare to host the NATO summit here in Washington.
We’re going to sign a memorandum of understanding in a couple of minutes which I’ll talk about briefly, but first let me just say the great importance that we attach to the partnership between the United States and Spain across so many different issues that are working to advance the interests of our people – both Spanish and Americans alike. We’re, of course, the strongest of NATO Allies. We’re working together in support of Ukraine and against Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. We’re working for peace in the Middle East. We’re dealing together with some of the challenges posed by China. And Spain and the United States and many other partners are also working to address many of the needs of the global majority countries around the world.
Today, we are signing an important MOU on foreign information manipulation. And this speaks to something that is a huge challenge not only for both of our countries, but for democracies around the world. Propaganda, misinformation, information manipulation – these are national security threats for both of our countries and many others. Adversaries seek to use information and disinformation, misinformation to create or exploit existing divisions both within and among our countries. They seek to imperil the integrity of elections. And all of this undermines public trust, including in our institutions. This use of disinformation sows cynicism, it sows suspicion, and it’s imperative that we develop and develop together more resilient information systems and a more resilient information environment.
That’s what this MOU is all about. That’s what the framework that we’ve established is all about, with now over a dozen countries joining in. It helps us work together to more effectively deal with the misinformation and disinformation challenge, strengthening the capacity of our countries both to detect and do something about the use of misinformation and disinformation; developing and administering strategies; supporting journalists and civil society who are on the frontlines of this fight; and bolstering multilateral cooperation, because the more we’re able to join forces to share information, to share best practices, the more effective we’re going to be.
So in a minute I’m looking forward to joining José Manuel in signing this memorandum and then getting to work on implementing it. But first, Mr. Foreign Minister, the floor is yours.
FOREIGN MINISTER ALBARES: Thank you, Tony, for hosting me here today, for your hospitality, and your friendship. Spain and United States are friends and are allies in a very complex world today. We are in a crucial moment of our Euro-Atlantic relationship and that’s why it’s so important that the natural ally of Europe, the United States, we strengthen ties as we are looking forward to the NATO summit that will be hosting here in July. We are together in the support to Ukraine in front of the unjustified Russian aggression, and I want to commend all the work that you personally, Tony and the Biden administration, has done to deliver a new financial package of aid to Ukraine in a very crucial moment. Spain has just concluded negotiation with Ukraine on our own bilateral security commitment, and we will be together as long as it’s needed.
As we are looking towards the summit, we want to promote peace in Ukraine as we want to promote peace in the Middle East. That’s why we call for an immediate cease fire in Gaza, the release and unconditional release of all hostages, and the access of unimpeded aid to the strip of Gaza. We want to bring peace to Gaza and to the whole Middle East.
Together, we have a common progressive agenda that goes from multilateralism to gender equality and to LGTBIQ rights, and we will promote it together, Spain and the United States. We have working groups that are very important to advance in the Sahel and in Central American common position and stability on both regions. And we are just going to sign an agreement on this information, which we each will share our experiences and we will fight any attempts to try to interfere in elections. We have very soon elections to the European Parliament in Europe, and here there will be presidential elections. And we want to make an especial effort to avoid disinformation in Spanish languages.
So once again, Tony, thank you very much, and I want to commend especially all the work that you personally are doing together with Qatar and Egypt to bring peace to the Middle East.
MODERATOR: Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Albares are signing a memorandum of understanding to develop a shared understanding of the threat posed by foreign information manipulation. It also aligns our efforts along five mutually reinforcing key action areas which strengthen democratic societies and ensure a robust, resilient, and fact-based information environment.
(The memorandum was signed.)
