Fiona Govan
THE UK’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss arrived in Madrid for a two day trip designed to build “closer economic, tech and security ties” with Spain.
Truss met with Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares, as well as holding talks with business and tech leaders.
Announcing the visit, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the politicians were meeting to discuss how the UK and Spain can work together on a range of issues, from ‘combatting malign actors’ to getting more girls across the world into education.
“I want to work with allies like Spain to create a network of liberty based around closer economic, tech and security ties,” Truss said ahead of the visit.
“We’re significant trading partners, with the UK as Spain’s biggest European investor, and the UK as the top destination for Spanish investment.
“By boosting our trading ties even further, both Spain and every region and nation of the UK will benefit.”
Also on the table were discussions about Nato, as Spain is set to host the Leaders’ Summit in 2022.
No specific mention was made of raising issues concerning the more than 300,000 British citizens who are resident in Spain whose lives have been made more complicated since Brexit, such as continuing problems exchanging driving licences and failings on the residence process.
Nor those issues that affect the tens of thousands more who have second homes here and who are now limited by the 90-day rule.
However, Truss tweeted about the success of the meeting revealing that they had discussed “supporting 400K Brits in Spain”.
She also said that continuing negotiations between the UK and EU over Gibraltar were also discussed and that Britain maintained its position on the sovereignty of Gibraltar.
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