"Ha, ha, ha, ha. Let's be serious". The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, responded this way when asked about the US threat to expel Spain from NATO. He completely discredited this possibility and, in fact, he showed great pride in the role that the country is playing as a member of the Alliance. He was even exultant.
"Spain is a reliable country, always fulfilling its commitments. With a Defense spending of 2%. Not all countries can reach that level of spending, even though they say they will increase it. We have delivered all the capabilities requested by the others. I can say it with my head held high," he stated before participating in the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting taking place this Thursday and Friday in Helsingborg (Sweden). "I wish all NATO allies had a commitment to security like Spain," he added. Indeed, exultant.
When asked if he expected any discussion or exchange of words with the US Secretary of State due to Spain's rejection of increasing military spending to 5% of GDP, Albares not only rejected this possibility but emphasized all the points mentioned, and added: "We have made the largest increase in military spending of all democratic governments".
The indictment of Zapatero also seemed to matter very little to him. "Absolutely not. Nobody asks me about that matter," he replied when asked if the fact that the former president is involved in the Plus Ultra case could harm Spain's international image.