Margarita Robles underlines the unity of interests in defence matters with her French counterpart

The Minister for Defence, Margarita Robles, and her French counterpart, Catherine Vautrin, review the troops

The minister for defence, Margarita Robles, and her French counterpart, Catherine Vautrin, have met in Madrid, in a meeting in which they expressed their agreement on the defence and security challenges facing both countries.

"The Franco-Spanish defence relationship is extremely important for our two countries," said Minister Vautrin. "Spain and France are historic partners and we have a very lively relationship, with agreements that are renewed one after the other; and we have the same objectives, which are obviously security in our countries, in Europe and in the world".

Precisely within the framework of the EU and the Atlantic Alliance, Margarita Robles recalled that "we share the same concerns, the same objectives; it is currently a complicated situation, but both Spain and France are committed to peace in all parts of the world".

Commitment to industry

Both ministers referred to the importance of strengthening defence industries, which are essential for the development of effective peacekeeping policies. The French minister for defence expressed her satisfaction at sharing European projects involving French companies in the field of space surveillance and equipment. "I am happy that we can work with our teams to strengthen cooperation and see how we can move these important security projects forward," she said.

In her address to the media, Margarita Robles highlighted the commitment to investment and job creation related to the defence industry, assuring that "we are going to continue working day by day on our contribution to peace and our international projection".

Non official translation