Pedro Sánchez deigned to give Joe Biden 29 seconds of bilateral advice

Pedro Sánchez's humble nature has prevented him from explaining at length his recent momentous bilateral meeting with Joe Biden, then president of the United States, a meeting between two renowned world leaders that could change the course of history.

Regarded in Tasmania, Biafra, Kiribati and the Virgin Islands as the undisputed champion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), President Sánchez arrived at the Atlantic Alliance's headquarters in Brussels in the company of the foreign and defence ministers, Arancha González Laya and Margarita Robles, respectively. 

His modesty made him cede the pre-eminent position at the NATO summit to President Biden, even though those close to him insisted that he take the central position in the family photo. However, in order to show his plainness, the Spaniard preferred to stand in a corner of the penultimate row, albeit on the left. Or perhaps it was a requirement of the precedence that reigns in the Alliance.

Sánchez also apparently ignored his team's pleas to make an institutional statement to his colleagues from across Europe and North America. The organisation's new headquarters in Brussels was the ideal place to show that he was an outspoken supporter of NATO from his earliest childhood. It is said that one of his favourite youthful chants was to proclaim loud and clear the slogan "NATO: yes, bases: too".

But all this has been obscured by his perverse and vicious political opponents who, driven by the unhealthy envy that gnaws at their insides, have distorted what must be considered one of the great successes in the history of Spanish diplomacy of all centuries: advising the president of the United States in 29 seconds. On the other hand, their declared enemies have described it as a "walkabout", when in fact it was a full-fledged "bilateral meeting", as it will be demonstrated below.

First of all, it was clear that there were two people, Sánchez and Biden, walking side by side, which confirms the 'bilateral' nature of their conversation. Secondly, it is clear that it was a meeting, since one lives in Washington and the other in Madrid, and they had arranged to meet in the Belgian capital. Hence, this is what is called a meeting. It is therefore clear that it was a "bilateral meeting".

TV pictures show that Sánchez was the one who called the shots and Biden neither spoke nor nodded, he was just walking. Nevertheless, the fact that they walked side by side in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is indisputable proof that the US president was receiving the wise counsel of the Spanish president with great satisfaction and joy.

Regarding the much-criticised 29 seconds of the monologue, or rather, conversation, it is a palpable demonstration of the high productivity that prevails among senior officials in the State Administration, to which the Spanish leader has borne witness.

The 'bilateral meeting' took very little time as Pedro Sánchez literally used the advice contained in Baltasar Gracián's 17th century book 'Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia' (The courtiers manual oracle, or, The art of prudence). So as not to bore his American interlocutor, Sánchez followed step by step the recommendation that "what is good, if brief, is twice as good".

At this point, one might wonder whether Sánchez's words were "good". There is no reason to doubt it. His words have only led to initiatives that have the approval of all Spaniards without exception. Pardons for those convicted of sedition and embezzlement of public funds can be considered an unimportant exception, which does not raise blisters among our compatriots, or does it? 

Back to the topic. The unfounded criticism of the short time of the "bilateral meeting" must be seen as a blunder. For an ordinary person, 29 seconds would pass in the blink of an eye. But for a gifted person, such a short time is more than enough to read Don Quixote or the complete works of Jules Verne.

Despite the short "bilateral meeting", it was enough for President Sánchez to convey to Biden the need to "strengthen the military ties we have between the United States and Spain"; "explain the position of the Spanish government, which is to update the bilateral defence agreement"; and "discuss the situation in Latin America".

But this is not all. As he detailed in front of the press correspondents, who listened in awe at the cosmic dimension of the conversation, those 29 seconds allowed him to convey to Joe Biden "my concern for the migratory and economic situation in the region as a result of the pandemic"; "to congratulate him on the progressive agenda he has set in motion" and "on the return to those great multilateral consensuses, in particular on climate change and the Paris agreement". 

With regard to the "paseíllo", there is no doubt that Pedro Sánchez wanted to show that Brussels belonged centuries ago to the Hispanic monarchy of the House of Austria. It is clear that the president ruled out releasing a Miura in the middle of NATO headquarters. A bull would have delighted many of the leaders gathered there, especially Biden's team of bodyguards. But it was not the time.

I would like to highlight one thing that has gone unnoticed by many. The elegant way in which Pedro Sánchez vanished from the scene, leaving Biden to complete his "paseíllo" on his own. It was another display of chivalry, another sign of his humility.

Rumours insist that other presidents and heads of government present at the NATO summit felt slighted. It is said that the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, and his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau, as well as a few others present at the summit, are eager to have a similar bilateral meeting with Pedro Sánchez. It is their ambition to hear Sánchez's wise assessments of international politics and economics. This is also the case of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is eager for such a show of trust and affection before she leaves office in the near future.

In short, the bilateral meeting between Presidents Pedro Sánchez and Joe Biden is the confirmation of the paradigm shift that has taken place in the World Order, a scenario in which the undisputed leader of Spain, Europe and much of the rest of the world is a rising figure called to play a leading role. One that seems to be coming up is that of accompanying those convicted of sedition and embezzlement of public funds, a "paseíllo" that will bring few smiles and many tears to the immense majority of Spaniards.