The Queen in Mauritania

In these times of enormous concern about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Because of the thousands of deaths it is causing and the destruction of a large part of the houses, infrastructures and factories in the regions attacked, condemning Ukraine to a reconstruction that will cost it at least 20 years and billions of euros. For the humanitarian crisis of millions of people displaced from their homes and forced to flee their country. For the economic crisis that is beginning to wreak havoc with rising energy costs and their impact on all sectors of the economy. Because of the food crisis that we are going to suffer as tons of wheat and grain are blocked in Ukraine and because of the Russian restriction. 

Because of the political and diplomatic confrontation that Putin has provoked and his defiance of the West, which forces everyone to take sides because in these circumstances it is impossible to be neutral. Because of the destabilisation of the world order by force, which is absolutely unacceptable because it goes against the most essential principles and values of our society. And for so many things that are changing and will never go back to the way they were in relations between people in different countries. For all these reasons that affect us directly in our daily lives, even though the conflict is being settled thousands of kilometres away, on European soil, let us not forget, we cannot fail to pay the attention it deserves to what is happening in places of special interest to Spaniards, such as North Africa.

Mauritania is a little-known country, with a president who promotes essential aid programmes for the most disadvantaged in order to prevent inequalities from provoking confrontations and Islamist radicals from gaining followers, with a very significant growth potential and a need for Spain and the European Union to notably increase their collaboration and cooperation, and with a growing strategic value due to its large size, because of its access to the Atlantic and to preserve stability in the region, with the enormous concern about what is happening in the Sahel with terrorist groups and above all because of the new situation in Mali, where Wagner's Russian mercenaries are operating with the aim of dominating the region as a point of action for Putin's interests in the convulsive international scenario we are currently experiencing. Mauritania loves the Spanish, as Queen Letizia, who arrived in Nouakchott on Tuesday evening, will see. Her presence strengthens relations between the two countries and Spanish cooperation in sectors such as health, governance and gender equality, rural development and food security.